The Paranaque Patriots sustained their climb in the OKBet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Fifth Season with a hard-earned 84-80 victory over the Oriental Mindoro Disiplinados on Thursday at the Olivarez College Gym in Sucat.
Trailing, 35-47, at halftime, the Patriots leaned on Jielo Razon, Paolo Castro and homegrown Klarenz Singh to seize control, 78-67, after three quarters en route to their fourth straight victory and the upper half of the standings.
In other games, Quezon City Gaz N Go subdued Manila, 100-90, in overtime in the lackluster opener to improve to 3-8, while the Pasay Voyagers resumed their upward journey with a coast-to-coast 75-68 conquest of the Bicol Volcanoes.
Andrei Duremdes, son of MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, shone for Quezon City with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block to earn best player honors over teammate Andre Flores with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Razon poured 14 of his game-high 26 points in the last 20 minutes to earn best player honors. He was followed by Jayboy Solis with 10 points plus 9 rebounds, Castro with 10 points, and Singh with 9 points.
Mindoro, which tumbled to 1-9, got 21 points from Rodel Vaygan, 20 from Sherwin Concepcion, 17 from Tey Teodoro and 11 from Jan Mark Baltazar.
Drawing 19 points and 7 rebounds from Antonio Jeffrey Coronel and 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists from Laurenz Paul Victoria, Pasay pulled away at 32-12 and was never headed en route to a 6-3 slate. Bicol suffered its 10th straight defeat and remained at the bottom of the 29-team, two-division tournament.
Joseph Brutas, who could have won the game outright for Quezon had he also made his second free throw with 1.8 ticks left, ended up with 15 points, followed by Zeus Pedrosa with 12 and Patrick Bacay with 11.
Manila tumbled to 2-8 despite the 32-point explosion of Clark Bautista, the 15-point output of Archie Salo and the 14-point effort of Mark Acosta.
The MPBL goes to the Bren Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga on Friday with another triple bill pitting Valenzuela against Iloilo at 4 p.m., Muntinlupa against Nueva Ecija at 6 p.m. and Marikina against Pampanga at 8 p.m.
