Lastimosa erupts for 32 as Heroes rout Darkhorse

Biñan Tatak Gel rode the hot shooting of Carlo Lastimosa and the all-around play of Nic Cabanero to a dominant 102-74 victory over Valenzuela City on Monday at the Villar Coliseum in Las Piñas.

Lastimosa exploded for a career-high 32 points, highlighted by five three-pointers, while adding two rebounds and two assists. Cabanero contributed 22 points and nine rebounds as Biñan stretched its winning streak to 13 games and improved to 16-3 in the elimination round of the 27-team Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) tournament.

The victory kept Biñan in third place in the South Division standings, moving ahead of GenSan (14-3). The Heroes now trail only Batangas City (15-2) and Quezon Province (13-2).

Lastimosa earned Best Player of the Game honors after leading Biñan's wire-to-wire victory. Cabanero also made his presence felt despite an off night from beyond the arc, hitting just one of his six three-point attempts.

Warren Bonifacio, Jaymar Gimpayan, and Michael Mabulac chipped in six points each to provide solid support for the Heroes.

Valenzuela dropped to 9-12 despite 17 points from Angelo Obuyes. Nico Mamaradlo added 14 markers, while Jay Collado finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

Biñan took complete control in the third quarter, stretching its lead to as much as 81-47 behind the combined scoring of Lastimosa and Cabanero before cruising the rest of the way.

The tournament resumes on Tuesday at the Pasay Astrodome, where Bacolod faces Bulacan at 3 p.m., Zamboanga takes on Parañaque at 5 p.m., and Pasay battles Batangas City at 7 p.m.