PARAÑAQUE’S outside gunners clicked in the fourth quarter as the Patriots subdued the Iloilo United Royals, 72-66, on Thursday and shared the lead in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
Getting a triple each from JR Villanueva, JP Sarao, Keith Pido and Jielo Razon, the Patriots surged ahead, 70-69, with only 2 minutes and 17 seconds left en route to their third win in as many starts in the elimination round of the country’s top regional league.
Villanueva fiinished with 19 points, including seven in the last ten minutes, followed by Pido with 17 as Parañaque matched the 3-0 slates of Zamboanga and Negros.
Razon contributed 10 points plus 7 boards, while veteran Mark Yee wound up with 9 points plus a game-high 13 rebounds. Sarao came up with 9 points plus 4 rebounds while Philip Manalang ably orchestrated the Patriots’ plays with 10 assists to go with 6 rebounds and 3 points.
Iloilo staged its final rally behind CJ Cansino and Mark Nonoy in the last 2 minutes, but could only make the gap closer.
Cansino tallied 21 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals, while Nonoy posted 21 points, 4 steals and 2 rebounds for Iloilo, which fell to 1-2.
Earlier, AC Soberano powered debuting San Juan to a 101-73 rout of Marikina.
The former NCAA three-point king started San Juan’s fourth quarter blitz with a halfcourt heave then drilled in four more triples in a 16-point run that pushed the Knights beyond reach of the Shoemasters, 94-61, with only 5 minutes and 42 seconds to go.
Soberano wound up with 22 points, spiked by 7 triples, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal to earn best player honors. The former San Beda hotshot was supported by Michael Malonzo with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, Zach Huang with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Dexter Maiquez with 10 points plus 3 rebounds.
Marikina, which dropped to 0-4, got 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals from Joe Gomez De Liano, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals from Eloie Tan, and 10 points from Jethro Escoto.
The MPBL returns to the Cuneta Astrodome on Friday with another triple-bill. South Cotabato tackles Muntinlupa at 4 p.m., Batangas battles Imus at 6 p.m., and Davao clashes with Pasay at 8 p.m.