MANILA, Philippines — Basilan Steel groped for its fiery form and settled for a 93-86 victory over Sarangani 10ACT on Tuesday in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Orion Sports Complex in Bataan.
Mark Montuano and Jan Jamon found their mark in the second half as Basilan pulled away, 80-63, en route to its ninth win in 19 starts in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 27-team tournament.
It was Gab Cometa, however, who captured the SportsPlus best honors with a triple-double of 10 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists on top of 2 steals in a 26-minute, 2-second stint.
Asked for what turned the game around for them in the second half, Cometa, a former star of the San Beda Red Lions, replied: "We stepped up in the point guard position."
The 6-foot-2 Montuano, acquired from the Mindoro Tamaraws, poured in 10 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, followed by Jamon with 16 points and 2 rebounds, and Ralph Robin with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
The Steel employed a trapping defense opening the third quarter and bundled 8 points, 4 each by Robin and Cometa, to seize permanent control, 48-41.
Sarangani led, 20-8, before Basilan geared up and closed in, 41-40, following a triple by Robin 39 seconds before the halftime break.
Sarangani, which skidded to 3-16, drew 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals from Leland Estacio, 12 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, 12 rebounds and 6 assists from Andrei Duremdes, 12 points from Carl Bryan Lacap, and 11 points from Alex Desoyo.
The tournament visits the Malolos Convention Center on Wednesday, with games pitting Negros against Pasay at 4 p.m., Meycauayan against Pasig at 6 p.m., and Bulacan against Quezon Province at 8 p.m. TMT
