MANILA — All it took was a trip down south — and a great homecoming for its star — for Zamboanga to bid adieu to its losing streak.
The Valientes snapped a three-game slide with a 94-80 rout of cross-strait rival Basilan in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Basak Coliseum in Cebu City on Saturday night.
In the derby between the teams within the Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga turned things around in the second half to zap Basilan, which failed to sustain a hot first half.
The Steel dropped 27 points in the first quarter before limiting the Valientes to just 13 points in the second.
However, Zamboanga countered with a third quarter defensive effort that limited Basilan to just 14 points before erupting for 33 markers in the final 10 minutes to steal the win.
Cebu native Reed Juntilla had a grand comeback at his old battleground with 26 points, seven rebounds, and four assists to lead Zamboanga, which moved back to .500 at 5-5.
Jojo Tangkay and Ferdinand Lusdoc each made 19 markers for Basilan, which fell to 4-7. (Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA)
