RESURGENT home team Abra battered Valenzuela, 84-52, on Saturday and gained ground in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the jam-packed University of Bangued Gymnasium.
Dominant underneath and with 14 players scoring, the Weavers led throughout en route to their fifth straight win and a 15-7 record in the round-robin eliminations of the two-division, 29-team tournament.
John Lloyd Clemente paced the hosts with 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists, followed by Mark Yee with 10 points and eight rebounds and Jeepy Faundo with 10 points and four rebounds.
Other Abra players who delivered were Roi Sumang with nine points, nine assists, and seven rebounds and Michael Canete with seven points and seven rebounds.
The Weavers overcame the 12 rebounds of 6-foot-9 Ladis Lepalam to rule the boards, 61-38, which they converted to more second-chance points, 44-32.
While Abra flaunted the depth of its roster, only seven Classic players, led by Mark Montuano with 13 and Mike Delos Santos with 11, scored as they fell to 11-12 and ninth spot in the North Division.
The Weavers, meanwhile, are ranked fifth behind Pampanga (22-1), San Juan (21-1), Nueva Ecija (18-3), and Manila (16-7).
Easy, breezy wins for Binan, Pasay
Binan Tatak Gel and Pasay also cruised to victories in earlier games.
The Lagunenses, powered by high-flyer Popoy Actub, subdued Sarangani, 77-61, while the Voyagers drubbed Imus, 87-59.
Actub fired 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, and made three steals, as Binan rose to 15-8 in the South Division. He was supported by Jaymar Gimpayan with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists.
Pasay, with Brian Hilario at the helm, climbed to 15-9, trailing Abra in the North Division.
Hilario chalked 16 points and four rebounds, AJ Coronel 11 points and three assists, and Jasper Salenga with 10 points and three rebounds.
The also-ran Agimat tumbled to 1-22, as the Marlins, also out of contention for a playoff spot, fell to 5-18.
The MPBL returns to the Filoil EcoOil Centre on Monday with games pitting Mindoro against Bacolod at 4 p.m., Pampanga against Manila at 6 p.m., and South Cotabato against host San Juan at 8 p.m.
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