By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The Rizal XentroMall Golden Coolers rolled to a commanding 108-78 victory over the Negros Hacienderos in the 2026 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) regular season at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Rizal took control early and never looked back, carrying a 52-41 lead into halftime before pulling away in the second half to complete the 30-point rout.

Billy Ray Robles led the balanced attack with 13 points and nine rebounds, earning Player of the Game honors as the Golden Coolers improved to 8-5 in the South Division standings.

The victory gave Rizal its eighth win of the season while extending Negros’ struggles.

The Hacienderos fell to 2-11 after suffering another lopsided defeat.

Rizal’s defense held Negros to just 37 points after the break while its offense continued to click, turning a modest 11-point halftime cushion into a dominant wire-to-wire victory.

With the win, the Golden Coolers strengthened their position in the South Division playoff race, while the Hacienderos remained near the bottom of the standings as they searched for their third victory of the campaign./ASC, WDJ