Abra snapped Rizal’s hot streak with an 85-70 victory in the Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League 2025 Season at Ynares Arena 2 Montalban in Rizal Province on Monday.
With the count tied at 18, the Weavers sped away behind an Encho Serrano-sparked 14-point cluster from which the Golden Coolers could not recover.
Abra, with Dave Ildefonso, Jayson Castro Apolonio and Raven Gonzales joining the scoring spree, led by as far as 69-43 before cruising to its fifth win against a loss, the same card as Rizal, in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.
Ildefonso posted 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals to edge Serrano, who tallied 16 points, spiked by three triples, three assists and two rebounds, for the Best Player honors in the nightcap of a tripleheader.
Apolonio wound up with 12 points and five rebounds, Gonzales 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks, followed by Marwin Taywan with 10 points, six assists, three blocks and two steals.
The Golden Coolers greeted the fourth quarter with a 10-point run to move within 54-69 only to be met by a nine-point spurt from Ildefonso, Serrano and homegrown Redel Fabro that sent many of the local crowd to the exits, 54-78, with 3:58 left.
Rizal got 20 points plus seven rebounds from Eric Camson, 17 points plus two rebounds from Alwyn Alday, 11 points, eight rebounds plus two assists from Marco Balagtas, and five points, 13 assists, three steals and four rebounds from Keanu Caballero.