Baliwag‚ General Santos City is looking every bit a championship contender and on Saturday night, the Warriors claimed another victim in the Muntinlupa Cagers, whom they gave a sound beating, 84-61, in the MPBL Lakan Season at the Baliwag Star Arena here.
The win, their sixth straight, put the Gen San Warriors into a tie for second to third places of the southern division of this tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.
Gen San improved its win-loss record to 8-2.
Defense played a big factor in Gen San’s bashing of Muntinlupa as the Warriors clamped down on the Cagers’ big guns.
JG Ylagan was scoreless in limited minutes of playing while Ryusei Koga was held to just four points, making only one of six attempts as the Cagers slipped deeper in the team standings, absorbing their eighth loss in 11 games.
Bicol and Bulacan got back on the winning track after they hurdled their respective rivals in contrasting fashions.
Coming off a three-game losing slump, the Volcanoes spewed fire and torched the Navotas Cltuch, 88-73.
Ronjay Buenafe led all Bicol scorers with 15 points, but Hafer Mondragon came away with another double-double performance of 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Bulacan paraded a new head coach in Kerwin McCoy, who replaced Britt Reroma. The Kuyas rewarded their new mentor with a 74-69 triumph over a stubborn Mindoro Tamaraws.
It was the sixth win in 11 games for the Kuyas, who moved up to seventh spot of the northern division of the fastest growing regional amateur basketball league in the country.
