Knights step on gas, rip Masskaras

San Juan went full throttle in the third quarter and battered Bacolod, 128-85, to gain ground in the SportsPlus Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League 2026 Season late Saturday at the Kamalig Sports Complex in Orion, Bataan.

Ahead, 61-50 at halftime, the Knights poured in 38 points against the Masskaras' 18 in the third to pull away for good and tally their fifth win against one loss in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.

San Juan trailed Caloocan (7-0) in the North Division. Gensan (7-0) and Quezon Province (4-0) pace the South Division in the chase for playoff seats.

Orlan Wamar sparked San Juan's romp, pumping in all of his 18 points on six triples in the first half, before concentrating on feeding his teammates, which led to a season-high 46 assists.

The 5-foot-6 Wamar also issued 14 assists and grabbed two rebounds to clinch the SportsPlus Best Player honors over Patrick Sleat, who tallied 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Terrence Fortea, with 16 points and four assists.

JP Boral supported with 12 points and four rebounds, followed by AC Soberano, with 10 points and two rebounds, Mike Phillips, with nine points and 11 rebounds, and Jearico Nunez, with seven points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.