Abra: Abra became the second team in Philippine basketball history to win 25 straight games within a single season after defeating Davao Occidental, 92-56, in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) at Batangas City Sports Coliseum.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Weavers' victory equaled the record set by the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in the 2022 MPBL season, when they swept the regular season and won their first four playoff games en route to the national title. With this win, Abra has improved its record to 27-1 for the year. This also assures them the No. 1 seed in the North Division, even if Nueva Ecija (26-2) ties at the end of the round robin phase, due to an earlier 82-71 road win that serves as the tiebreaker.
Additionally, Abra's better record against the South Division top seeds, the Quezon Huskers, ensures they will have homecourt advantage throughout the entire postseason, which begins next month. The Weavers have the opportunity to set a new national record if they win against the Mindoro Tamaraws on Tuesday night at Robert Estrella Memorial Gymnasium in Rosales, Pangasinan.
Despite their defeat, Davao Occidental (11-17) secured a place in the inaugural play-in games after Muntinlupa forfeited its last two games against the Huskers and Pampanga Giant Lanterns. MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes stated, "The Muntinlupa management cited injuries to key players apart from those who are trying out with PBA teams as the basis for their decision." Muntinlupa could have qualified directly to the postseason if they had managed to win against the Huskers and Giant Lanterns. Instead, Quezon (25-4) and Pampanga (21-8) were awarded 20-0 forfeiture wins, with Muntinlupa ending with a 10-19 record.
In other league developments, two matches-General Santos City against Pasig and Manila versus Para±aque-were both called off, unrelated to the influence of Severe Tropical Storm Opong. Pasig conceded to GenSan, which concluded the regular season at 18-11 and earned a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Manila's game against Para±aque was also canceled, as both teams were already out of postseason contention.
Following the potential record-setting Abra-Mindoro game, Pangasinan will host Batang Kankaloo in the final game of the regular season. The winner of this match will secure the last outright playoff spot in the North Division, while the loser will drop to the play-in games. Pampanga could finish in the top four if Batang Kankaloo loses first to Sarangani on Saturday night before winning against Pangasinan.
