The Batangas City Tanduay Athletics hit full throttle in the homestretch to beat the Rizal XentroMall Golden Coolers, 76-66, and solidify its hold of the top spot in the South division of the SportsPlus Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League 2026 Season on Friday at the Batangas City Coliseum.

Batangas stretched its hot streak to 13 and improved its record to 15-2, better than Quezon Province (13-2) and Biñan (15-3), which trounced Ilagan Isabela, 90-69, in the opener of another triple-bill.

Caloocan dumped Basilan, 103-71, in the second game to raise its card to 17-2 and tighten its grip on third place in the North division, behind Abra Solid North (16-1) and San Juan (15-1) in the race for playoff slots.

Ahead by five points, the Athletics sped away after Ino Comboy sparked a 12-2 salvo that padded their lead to 75-60 with 3:27 left.

Comboy, a former Far Eastern University Tamaraw, posted 25 points, highlighted by six triples, 10 rebounds and four assists to capture the SportsPlus Best Player honors.

“I couldn’t have done this without the trust of my teammates and my coaches,” said Comboy, of his season-high output.

Jhan Nermal supported with 18 points and seven rebounds, followed by Abdul Sawat with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Rhinwill Yambing, with seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

Rizal fell to 11-7 as only Jolo Mendoza found his range with 14 points, spiked by four triples. AJ Coronel settled for nine points and five rebounds, while Billy Robles chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.

With 13 Batang Kankaloo scoring and dominating the boards, Caloocan decided the outcome halfway through the fourth quarter when they stormed ahead, 90-68.

Jammer Jamito paced Caloocan with 15 points and six rebounds, followed by Kymani Ladi, with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, Kean Baclaan, with 11 points, six assists and four rebounds, Jeff Manday with 11 points and two rebounds, and Rommel Calahat with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Basilan tumbled to 9-11, negating John Wilson’s 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Mark Montuano’s 1l points and two rebounds, and Gab Cometa’s 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds.