Bacoor – Looks like Zamboanga-Family’s Brand Sardines is the latest MPBL team on the rise.
On Monday night, Zamboanga added another victim to its list by edging Imus, 83-78, for its fourth straight win in the ongoing Datu Cup.
Following its latest win, Zamboanga moved up to fifth place of the southern division of this tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao, with PBA legend and former PBA MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.
Zamboanga improved to 12-12, overtaking Bacoor, which dropped an 82-71 loss to the General Santos City Warriors.
With Reed Juntilla taking over the offensive side and Harold Arboleda finishing with yet another double-double performance, Zamboanga picked up another important win as it continued to build a winning run ahead of the playoffs.
A former player of the Barako Bull in the PBA, Juntilla bucked a slow start and knocked in 18 of his 22 points in the second half to provide Zamboanga the scoring spunk it needed just when Imus was about to make a rally.
While Juntilla took care of offense, his fellow ex-pro Harold Arboleda did it in both ends of the court.
The hardworking 6'3” forward finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds as he complemented Juntilla’s outside shooting with his solid inside game.
General Santos City strengthened its hold on the top four in the southern division in its latest win over Bacoor, which lost three in a row and second straight at home. The Warriors also moved closer to reaching the third spot. Now carrying a 13-10 win-loss slate, the Golden State College-backed squad is just half a game behind No. 3 seed Batangas City Athletics in this tournament also supported by LGR, the official outfitter of the MPBL.
General Santos City drew solid numbers from John Orbeta, who tallied a double-double performance of 23 points and 11 rebounds. The 6'3” forward also hit three triples and his inside and out game made him more unpredictable.
