Cebu Greats beat Pasay for third straight win in MPBL

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu Greats extended their winning streak to three after defeating the Pasay Voyagers, 82-72, in the ongoing Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Season 26 on Tuesday night, June 16, at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

The victory improved Cebu’s record to 10-3, good for seventh place in the overall standings.

Pasay, meanwhile, slipped to 7-6 and suffered its third consecutive defeat.

READ: Cebu Greats’ home stand slated in Hoops Dome, Cebu Coliseum

The Greats leaned on their torrid shooting from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 of their 22 three-point attempts for an impressive 54.5 percent clip. Veteran sharpshooter Dondon Hontiveros led Cebu’s long-range attack, draining three of four triples to finish with 10 points, four rebounds, and one assist.

In contrast, the Voyagers struggled from deep, converting just eight of 29 attempts for 27.6 percent.

Mark Meneses once again spearheaded Cebu’s offense, flirting with a double-double after tallying 19 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, one assist, and one steal.

New acquisition Echie Altamirano made an encouraging debut for the Greats, contributing 11 points, three assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

Simon Camacho filled the stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Al Francis Tamsi, Alvin Baetiong, and Wowie Escosio chipped in six points apiece.

Cebu seized control early and built its biggest lead at 63-40 following a Meneses three-pointer, before cruising to its third straight victory in the round-robin elimination phase of the 28-team tournament.

For Pasay, Brian Hilario and Cebuano standout Nico Quinal paced the offense with 14 points each. Edmund Dela Cruz added nine points and 10 rebounds, while Christian Fajarito was limited to eight points and three boards.

READ: PBA Finals: Brownlee, McCullough set for another duel in Game 7

Although Cebuano playmaker Steve Nash Enriquez was held scoreless, he orchestrated the offense effectively with eight assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

Biñan Tatak Gel, Basilan Steel win

Meanwhile, another Cebuano, Nic Cabanero topscored Biñan Tatak Gel with 21 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two assists in their 72-53 beatdown on Zamboanga Sikat in the other game.

Biñan currently ties with Cebu in the team standings with their 10-3 slate.

Also having a field night is fellow Cebuano, Gab Cometa who poured 20 points for Basilan Steel in their hard-earned 82-79 win over the GenSan Warriors. Cometa added five boards, five assists, and a steal as Basilan improved to a 6-7 record, while inflicting GenSan’s second defeat in 14 games.

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