Batangas City defeated Zamboanga, 70-61, in the opener of their best-of-three division quarterfinal series on Wednesday in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Cedric Ablaza, Levi Hernandez and Mark Niel Cruz took charge of the offense as Batangas surged ahead, 67-55, and closed in on the semifinal round in the South Division.
Ablaza tallied 16 points, Hernandez scored 15 points and Cruz added 12 points for Batangas.
Reggz Gabat led Zamboanga with 12 points, as chief gunner Abdul Sawat was held to four points.
Binan beat Rizal, 77-68, in the opener of their quarterfinal series.
With the Golden Coolers threatening at 68-70, the Lagunenses sealed the win with a seven-point run.
Carlo Lastimosa scored 16, Kenny Roger Rocacurva added 12, Pamboy Raymundo had 11 points and Jaymar Gimpayan chipped in with 10.
Rizal drew 19 points from Alwyn Alday, while Eric Camson scored 15 and Michael Canete added 10.
Marc Pingris snagged nine rebounds to help Binan rule the boards, 44-31.