By Adrian Stewart Co

The Iloilo United Royals suffered a 78-71 loss to the Makati Super Crunch last Thursday in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Cup at the Marikina Sports Center.
Makati set the tempo early in the match as they surged to a 22-17 lead after the opening quarter. Iloilo attempted to bounce back in the second but Makati went on to maintain a 36-32 halftime edge.
Into the second half, Iloilo kept in step with their opponents and went on to take a slim 57-56 lead on a basket by Al Francis Tamsi. However, Makati leaned on conversions from Joseph Sedurifa and Cedric Ablaza as they regained the lead and went up 77-67 on a free throw by Juneric Baloria.
Baloria finished the match with 15 points for Makati, while Ablaza scored 12, and Mark Neil Cruz added 10./ASC, WDJ