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| Val Chauca shines in debut for the Quezon City Black Bulls. MPBL |
MANILA—Val Chauca quickly proved his worth for the Quezon City Black Bulls Thursday night.
The Filipino-Peruvian recruit knocked in a triple with 6.3 seconds left to lift the Black Bulls past the Basilan Steel, 83-80, in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Paco Arena.
Basilan got two chances to force overtime, but veterans John Wilson and Jervy Cruz missed hurried triple attempts from the corner, respectively, allowing Quezon City to raise its record to 7-5 in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
The 31-year-old Chauca, a former Adamson Soaring Falcon acquired from the Valenzuela City Darkhorse, chalked up 20 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds to capture the SportsPlus best player honors over Jake Agoncillo, who carded 10 points and 4 rebounds in the tight game that saw neither team lead in double figures.
Trailing, 61-70, the Black Bulls unleashed a 17-6 run, capped by a Wilson triple, to seize control, 78-76, with 3 minutes and 37 seconds left.
Basilan, still searching for cohesion with the inclusion of five players, skidded to 5-7.
Wilson finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, newcomer Mark Sangco pooled 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, and Cruz notched 13 points and 5 rebounds.
The other Basilan newcomers were Kenneth Mocon (5 points), Jan Jamon (5), Ralph Robin (4), and Mac Tallo (0).
Pasig, Bataan prevail
Pasig City ripped Rizal XentroMall, 92-65, in the opener, while Bataan thumped Bacolod, 113-62, in the second game.
Drilling in 18 triples, the Bataan Risers led as far as 113-62 en route to a 5-7 card.
Gary David paced Bataan with 16 points, spiked by four triples, 4 assists and 2 rebounds, followed by Chito Jaime with 13 points, laced by three triples, and 4 rebounds; Hance Lleva with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists; Robbi Darang, with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals; and Alex Ramos, with 11 points plus 7 rebounds.
Bacolod tumbled to 3-11 as only Ian Melencio struck back with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Powered by Warlo Batac, Ahron Estacio and Jerome Garcia, Pasig led for the start, pulled away at halftime, 55-30, and never wavered for a 7-3 record.
High-flyer Michael Lambino, a prized find from the University of Luzon Golden Tigers, took over in the second half, where Pasig led as far as 92-62 in the homestretch.
Lambino posted 20 points and 11 rebounds and was chosen the best player over Batac, with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals; Estacio, with 15 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals; and Jerald Bautista, with 11 points and 2 rebounds.
Rizal fell to 6-5 as only Jolo Mendoza hit double figures with 14 points, followed by Joel Lee Yu and Mark Yee with 9 each.
The MPBL returns to the One Arena Cainta on Friday, featuring games between Paranaque and Imus at 4 p.m., Iloilo and Marikina at 6 p.m., and Meycauayan and Abra at 8 p.m.
