Zamboanga whips Bacoor, barges into playoffs

Fired up by the home crowd, Allan Santos delivered his finest performance of the season as Zamboanga walloped Bacoor, 73-62, on Saturday night to clinch a playoff spot in the South division of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup. It improved to 11-12 for the No. 6 spot and lined itself up for a possible playoff duel with defending champion Batangas Athletics. Benefiting from the new offensive system put in by coach Raymond Valenzona, Santos fired 16 points and anchored Zamboanga’s interior defense, while Reed Juntilla, Harold Arboleda and Ryan Buenafe all dished out solid efforts at Mayor Agan Coliseum. In the other game, Valenzuela snapped General Santos City’s five-game winning streak with a 79-72 win. —CEDELF P. TUPAS