By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The Sarangani 10ACT Marlins survived Bacolod Masskara’s final flurry and prevailed, 96-94, to rev up their drive in the MPBL 2026 Season at the One Arena in Cainta, Rizal on Monday, April 20.

Cruising home with a 95-80 spread, two minutes and 48 seconds left, the Marlins got comfortable and were held to a free throw by the Masskaras, who dropped 14 points in that span, for the shaky victory that leveled their slate at 1-1 in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.

Carl Bryan Lacap tallied 20 points, spiked by five triples, four rebounds and two assists, for Sarangani, which led as far as 53-42, late in the second quarter.

It was Karl Duremdes who was chosen the SportsPlus best player.

However, he posted 11 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes and 58 seconds of play.

“It’s just effort,” said Duremdes, son of MPBL President Kenneth Duremdes and member of the MPBL broadcast panel up to the 2026 Preseason Invitational.

“I did my part as I’m still shaking off the rust,” he added.

King Destacamento contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, while Carl Bryan Lacap chipped in 11 points and two rebounds for Sarangani.

Bacolod tumbled to 1-1 despite another stellar performance from Ian Melencio, who notched 37 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals.

They also got 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks from Hance Lleva./ASC, WDJ