Marikana Verdiamonds defeated Manila Batang Kiaho 108-84 in the MPBL on Wednesday. The visitors saw off their hosts at the home court, turning what looked like another routine fixture into a statement of intent. The result leaves Manila further adrift at the bottom of the table while Marikana continue to climb.
The victory moves Marikana up to 11th place with seven wins from nineteen games. Manila remain rooted to 13th spot after eighteen matches, their record of two wins and sixteen losses unchanged. The gap between them in the standings has narrowed, though both sides still have plenty of ground to cover.
Marikana have been finding their rhythm of late. They lost narrowly to Mindoro Tamaraus 69-71 on their previous outing, then bounced back with this convincing win. Manila, by contrast, have not tasted victory since before the summer break. Their last five games have all ended in defeat, including a heavy 75-124 loss to San Juan Knights just three days ago.
The result settles nothing in terms of promotion or relegation, but it does shift the psychological balance between two sides in the lower half of the table. Marikana have the deeper squad and seem to be stringing performances together. Manila need to turn things around if they want to avoid finishing in the basement.