Heroes turn up the heat late, rout Patriots to stay in South race

08-11 01:48

Binan Tatak Gel steadily turned up the pressure before blowing the game open in the second half, overwhelming Paranaque, 110-86, on Monday at the Paco Arena in Manila to strengthen its position in the MPBL South Division race.

The Tatak Gel led by just three after the opening quarter and carried a six-point advantage into halftime, but the game changed dramatically after the break.

Binan exploded in the third quarter to build a 17-point cushion before continuing to pile on the points in the final period. Its lead eventually reached 26 points at 110-84 as the Tatak Gel cruised to their 17th victory of the season.

The win allowed Binan to quickly recover from its 63-53 loss to Abra Solid North on August 1 and improve to 17-4 in the round-robin elimination phase.

The Tatak Gel remain in the thick of the South Division race, trailing the Quezon Huskers and Batangas City Tanduay Athletics, both at 15-3, while keeping ahead of the Gensan Warriors at 13-4.

With the top four teams earning homecourt advantage in the quarterfinal playoffs, every victory becomes increasingly important.

Nic Cabanero once again led the way for Binan with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Michael Mabulac added 12 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, helping the Tatak Gel dominate the glass.

Ryan Sual provided another major boost from outside, knocking down four of his five three-point attempts on the way to 12 points. Jaymar Gimpayan and Damian Lasco added 10 points each.

Paranaque, meanwhile, slipped further to 2-22 despite 15 points and six rebounds from Marlon Monte. Dom Matillano and Paolo Castro scored 13 apiece, while Jomar Santos had 12 points and four rebounds.

Binan's dominance was reflected in the numbers. The Tatak Gel controlled the boards, 55-26, and turned that advantage into a 50-22 edge in points in the paint.

They were also efficient from long range, shooting 14-of-29 from three-point territory for 48.2 percent.

The Tatak Gel now continue their push for a top-four finish as the MPBL returns Tuesday at the Caloocan Sports Complex.