THE San Juan Knights went full throttle in the third quarter and battered the Bacolod Masskaras, 128-85, to gain ground in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Kamalig Sports Complex in Orion, Bataan.
Ahead, 61-50 at halftime, the Knights poured in 38 points against the Masskaras’ 18 in the third to pull away for good and tally their fifth win against one loss in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
San Juan trailed Caloocan (7-0) in the North Division. Gensan (7-0) and Quezon Province (4-0) pace the South Division in the chase for playoff seats.
Orlan Wamar sparked San Juan’s romp, pumping in all of his 18 points on six triples in the first half, before concentrating on feeding his teammates, which led to a season-high 46 assists.
The 5-foot-6 Wamar also issued 14 assists and grabbed 2 rebounds to clinch the SportsPlus best player honors over Patrick Sleat, who tallied 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, and Terrence Fortea, with 16 points and 4 assists.
JP Boral supported with 12 points and 4 rebounds, followed by AC Soberano, with 10 points and 2 rebounds, Mike Phillips, with 9 points and 11 rebounds, and Jearico Nuñez, with 7 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Dominant on both boards, 63-33, the Knights frolicked inside with 66 points against 38 for the Masskaras.
Bacolod absorbed its seventh straight loss after an initial win despite John Kobe Dalisay’s 26-point effort.
Biñan, with Nic Cabañero at the helm, downed Bataan, 89-79, in the nightcap to rise to 5-3.
Cabañero, former star of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, posted 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, followed by Carlo Lastimosa with 14 points and 2 rebounds. TMT
