BATANG KANKALOO shrugged off an abysmal start against Negros to protect their 'Hacienda' and claim the 77-49 win in the MPBL 2026 on Tuesday at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
The Hacienderos soared to an 18-8 start, built off of six points from Brandrey Bienes and stellar defense to contain key scorers like Kymani Ladi and Kean Baclaan, both of which were noticeably absent from the starting lineup for this match.
When asked on this sudden lineup change, Batang Kankaloo head coach Jerson Cabiltes maintained that they have different starting lineups for any situation, but expected to be surprised by the erstwhile-hidden Negros.
“I have many starting lineups for different scenarios. But It’s the first game of Negros. Wala rin yung scouting report kasi they didn’t play in the preseason," he said.
“We’re not making our shots. Flat kami offensively. But towards the latter part of the second quarter, nag adjust na ako on our ball screen defense because they have a lot of good shooters.”
Entering the second quarter with a seven-point deficit, Caloocan adjusted to attune for Negros’ marksmen, especially homegrown guard Jan Formento, who rained down five triples throughout the entire match.
And once the Batang Kankaloo successfully imposed its defense that kept them unblemished, it was smooth sailing from there.
Negros gradually suffocated to Caloocan’s defense while Ladi and Baclaan regained their footing and delivered 19 and 11 points, respectively.
Baclaan also thrived once more as the facilitator off the bench with eight assists, while Ladi paced their defense with seven boards and two steals.
After delivering on the course correction during the inner quarters, Caloocan went full throttle in the fourth, pelting 27 points to Negros’ eight to rise to a 3-0 record.
“I told them to be more patient in our execution. Kasi offensively, wala yung flow namin especially from the outside. So, good thing for us it worked.”
Jielo Razon was the only Caloocan starter that nearly sniffed double-digits with nine points, while Formento was the only bright spot for the Hacienderos as he finished with 18 points and six rebounds in their season-opening loss.
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