THE Abra Solid North Weavers put the Mindoro Tamaraws away early, 97-81, on Thursday and tightened their grip on the lead in theMPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Paco Arena in Manila.
With Dave Ildelfonso outscoring the entire Mindoro crew in the first quarter, the Weavers erected a 26-8 spread then thwarted the Tamaraws' rallies to extend their hot run to 14 and raise their record to 16-1 in the two-division, 27-team tournament.
The Weavers paced the San Juan Knights (14-1) and the Cloocan Batang Kankaloo in the chase for playoff berths in the North division.
Ildefonso posted 21 points, highlighted by five triples, and 3 rebounds to clinch his second straight Best Player award and prove why he's the reigning MPBL MVP.
"I try to study our plays, our system, and try my best to get my opportunities," said Ildefonso, who has fully recovered from an injury early in the season. "As a team, we're out to defend our crown and, hopefully, everybody stays healthy."
Shaun Ildefonso, Dave's older brother, supported with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, followed by DJ Fenner with 11 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds, and John Figueroa with 10 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
In a departure from their usual 15-man rotation, Abra coach Yong Garcia fielded only 11, all of whom scored against Mindoro.
Mike Ayonayon and Raven Gonzales contributed 9 points each for Abra.
Mindoro, which tumbled to 8-9, drew 14 points, spiked by four triples, 4 rebounds and 4 assists; 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists from JC Recto; and 10 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds from Aaron Jeruta.
The tournament returns to the Batangas City Coliseum on Friday, featuring games between Binan and Ilagan Isabela at 3 p.m., Caloocan and Basilan at 5 p.m., and Batangas and Rizal at 7 p.m.
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