MPBL’s Battle of the Caviteños result in triumphant Bacoor

“If there’s one thing tonight’s game proved, it’s that our province is truly made of heroes. We share this victory with our brothers and fellow Caviteños, the Imus Banderas.” (File Photo: Strike B. Revilla/Facebook)

The Bacoor Strikers are victorious against the Imus Bandera for one of their final games for the elimination round of Senator Manny Pacquiao’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay last Wednesday, February 13. The score ended at 90-79 in favor of the Caviteños from Bacoor.

Gab Banal and Rocky Acidre both led the way for the strikers as they both contributed 16 points. The Leo Isaac-led squad’s bench points also outscored their opponents, 34-19. Defensively, the Strikers did exceptional as well, disallowing Imus to score a single field goal during the last 2:52 minutes of the game.

This win strengthened Bacoor’s fifth position in the South Division going into the playoffs of the league, while Imus’ 12th loss in 21 games puts them competing for the seventh spot with Zamboanga-Family’s Brand Sardines.

On the same day, the Marikina Shoemasters had a close call against the Pasay Voyagers as they won, 71-69, on their opponents’ home court. Erwin Sta. Maria represented the Shoemasters, scoring a total of 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds, leading his team to move up on the standing at 10th place tied with the Parañaque Patriots. They hold eight wins out of 22 games in total.

In the meantime, Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes of the MPBL has confirmed the final date of this season’s All-Star game to be March 9, 2019, at the Cuneta Astrodome. Voting for the starting five of both North and South teams opened on Valentine’s Day, with Muntinlupa Cager Felix Apreku receiving the most votes so far. It has also been confirmed that Coach Don Dulay of the Davao Occidental Tigers will lead the way for Team South, while former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) star Coach Jojo Lastimosa from the Bataan Risers will call the shots for Team North.