Cebuanos Cabanero, Heruela deliver in contrasting MPBL victories

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuano standouts Nic Cabanero and Brian Heruela delivered in contrasting fashion as they helped their respective teams notch crucial victories in the SportsPlus Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2026 Season on Monday at the Villar Coliseum in Las Piñas.

Cabanero overcame an off shooting night from beyond the arc to finish with 22 points and nine rebounds as Biñan Tatak Gel routed Valenzuela City, 102-74. Meanwhile, Heruela played the hero by draining a turnaround fadeaway jumper with 1.3 seconds left to lift the Mindoro Tamaraws to a thrilling 84-82 victory over the Meycauayan Marilao Gems.

Heruela’s clutch basket capped a tense finish after the Gems squandered one last opportunity when Jayson Apolonio failed to complete an alley-oop play off Robin Nayve’s inbound pass. The Cebuano guard finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists as Mindoro improved to an even 9-9 record.

Homegrown Jayjay Caspe paced the Tamaraws with 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists to earn SportsPlus Best Player of the Game honors, while Bambam Gamalinda added 12 points and JC Recto chipped in 11.

Joseph Sedurifa and John Apacible also scored 10 points apiece for the Tamaraws, who delighted team owner Pola Mayor Jennifer “Ina Alegre” Cruz with the hard-earned win.

The Gems slipped to 10-9 despite 20 points from Agem Miranda, 12 from Apolonio, and 10 points from Shawn Argente.

Meanwhile, Cabanero took on more of a supporting role as Carlo Lastimosa erupted for a career-high 32 points, highlighted by five three-pointers, to power Biñan Tatak Gel to its convincing victory.

After spearheading Biñan’s offense in recent games, Cabanero struggled from long range, making just one of six attempts from beyond the arc. Still, the Cebuano standout found other ways to contribute, finishing with 22 points and nine rebounds as Tatak Gel extended its winning streak to 13 games and improved to 16-3.

Lastimosa, who also tallied two rebounds and two assists, claimed Best Player of the Game honors as Biñan climbed to third place in the South Division, overtaking Gensan (14-3) behind leaders Batangas City (15-2) and Quezon Province (13-2).

Warren Bonifacio, Jaymar Gimpayan, and Michael Mabulac added six points apiece for Biñan, while Valenzuela, which dropped to 9-12, was led by Angelo Obuyes with 17 points, Nico Mamaradlo with 14, and Jay Collado with 10 points and six rebounds.

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