Biñan turned on its defensive switch early then held a late uprising from Caloocan before winning, 84-69, to move to the top of the team standings again in PSL President’s Cup at the Caloocan Sports Complex just recently.
By notching its 16th win ahead of its last elimination round schedule, Biñan has moved up in the team standings ahead of its final assignment scheduled on Thursday where it hosts Davao Occidental.
But while Biñan has secured its spot back on top, it was Harold Arboleda and the rest of 1Munti cagers who took the spotlight.
Arboleda posted a triple-double performance while Ryusei Koga came through with a clutch three-point basket in overtime as 1Munti picked up its 11th win in 18 games to stay at the eighth spot of the team standings.
In ending its elimination round campaign with a victory, 1Munti guaranteed itself of a twice-to-beat advantage going to the playoffs.
Arboleda finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists.
Koga, on the other hand, scattered 20 points, none more important than his three-point basket that beat the shot clock in the last 25 seconds of the extra period.
Michael Cañete posted a double-double performance and played the role as the glue guy for Davao Occidental, which bucked a slow start and finished strong to hammer out a 75-68 win over MisOr.
The 6-foot-4 forward finished with 16 points and 10 boards while keeping ahold of the Tigers, who picked up their 13th win in 17 games and primed themselves up in their much-awaited game against Biñan on Thursday.
Jun Manzo added 14 while Justine Sanchez contributed 13 points for the Tigers, who shot a steady 50% from the field (32-of-63) while holding down MisOr to just 37% shooting (22-of-59).
Davao Occidental also outrebounded MisOr, 46-30, and had more points inside the paint, 52-22, which proved to be the biggest factors in the Tigers’ latest win.
