VALENZUELA City blew a big lead, but recovered in time to beat Sarangani 10ACT, 77-72, on Friday and gain traction in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Paco Arena.
Ahead by as far as 50-25, the Valenzuela Darkhorse turned cold, allowing the Marlins to seize control at 68-64 following a 9-point cluster sparked by Ken Brillantes.
Valenzuela ends slump
Fil-Am Geremy Robinson Jr., along with JR Olegario and Val Chauca, however, averted a Valenzuela disaster, scoring all of his 7 points in an 11-2 run that pushed the Darkhorse back on top, 75-70, with 1 minute and 30 seconds left.
Chauca chalked up 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to clinch the Best Player award and hand Valenzuela its first win after back-to-back losses in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
Veteran Jay Collado posted 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, while Olegario contributed 11 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.
With Chauca drilling in 5 triples and Olegario 3, Valenzuela converted 11 of 25 attempts from long distance, achieving a high 44 percent that spelled the difference, as Sarangani could only make 9 of 40 tries for 22.5 percent.
Sarangani, which dropped to 1-2, got 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks from Carl Bryan Lacap, 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists from King Destacamento, and 11 points plus 6 rebounds from Migs Pascual.
The MPBL visits the City of San Jose Del Monte Sports Complex on Monday, featuring games between Basilan and Cebu at 4 p.m., Abra and Batangas at 6 p.m., and Meycauayan Marilao and Caloocan at 8 p.m.
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