Abiera Uivars put Valenzuela Darkhorses to the sword 106 to 70 in the MPBL on Friday evening. The hosts have been cruising all season and showed exactly why they sit top of the table. By then it was clear this was never going to be close.
The visitors came in ninth with nine wins and ten defeats, a record that doesn't flatter. They had bounced back from a heavy loss to Binaan Tack Jet with a narrow win over Zamboanga Sikaat, but that was about as far as momentum could take them. And here's the thing — against a team that's won fifteen of sixteen, they didn't stand a chance.
To be fair, Valenzuela had shown they could compete on occasion. Their recent results included an 87-82 win and a 76-73 victory, both tight affairs. But the 36-point margin told a different story entirely. This wasn't a contest that went down to the wire.
The hosts' form has been relentless. They've beaten Bulacan Kuya 110-84, Bataan Risers 74-71, Binaan Tack Jet 63-53, Pasig City 130-76, and Mindoro Tamaraus 97-81 in their last five. That's a level of consistency most teams can only dream about.
Valenzuela's run has been far more erratic. After that win over Zamboanga, they'd lost to Binaan 74-102, then dropped a thriller to San Juan Knights 112-124, before winning comfortably against Imus Brothers 129-97. Up and down, game to game. No pattern worth following.
The result leaves Abiera Uivars one defeat behind them after sixteen games. Valenzuela sit nine games adrift of the top spot with ten losses already. The gap is widening, and there's no sign of it closing.