BATANGAS City met stiff resistance from Zamboanga before prevailing 87-83 in overtime last Monday to stretch its unbeaten run in the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season at the Batangas City Coliseum.
The Batangas City Embassy Chill rode the torrid scoring of Levi Hernandez in regulation play, then leaned on Juneric Baloria and Cedric Ablaza in extra time to post win No. 10 in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 22-team tournament split into two divisions.
Earlier games saw Pasig edge Marikina, 81-79, and San Juan Go for Gold trounce Makati, 95-85.
Hernandez poured a career-high 36 points as Batangas rallied from an early 19-point deficit 25-35 and led in the homestretch, 72-69, before Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines’ Jaycee Marcelino scored a field goal and Adrian Santos split two charities to forge the extension,
With Hernandez hobbled by cramps, Ablaza and Baloria took up the slack and fired five points each to frustrate Zamboanga, which suffered its second straight defeat and tumbled to 8-2 behind Batangas in the South division.
