Zamboanga and Caloocan boosted their respective MPBL Datu Cup bids on Thursday night following similar hard-earned wins at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
The Family’s Brand Sardines-backed squad turned to frontliners Allan Santos and Harold Arboleda as the team from the Mindanao region upstaged the Valenzuela Classic, 79-71.
Santos had a double-double performance for Zamboanga as he ended up with 12 points and 14 rebounds. He and Arboleda combined for 27 caroms as they provided the strength on both ends of the court, allowing the squad to pick up its eighth win in 19 games.
Zamboanga is now tied for ninth to 10th spots with the Paranaque Patriots in the southern division of this tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.
Offensively, it was Robin Rono who presided over Zamboanga as the deadly shooting guard finished with 19 markers, built around four triples.
Defense also played a big role for Zamboanga, which clamped down on its rival in the second period. The team allowed Valenzuela to only 15 points in the second period and outscored its counterpart by 10 more points.
Caloocan survived Mandaluyong, 83-77, to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth in the tough northern division of this tournament.
The win enabled the Longrich-backed Supremos, who were hit by injury bug, to improve their win-loss record to 8-13 and climbed to eighth spot up north.
There were some scary moments though as the Supremos lost the services of center Rene Pacquiao, who landed on the wrong foot and injured his ankle. The team had earlier lost Mar Villahermosa due to a vehicular accident and the player was ruled out of the season.
