Imus edges Sarangani, snares last play-in slot in MPBL

Manila Times - Sep 21, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Imus Yangkee bested the Sarangani 10ACT Marlins, 89-84, on Monday to grab the last ticket to the play-in stage of the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium in Malolos. Imus finished with a 4-21 record, good for the 10th spot in the South Division, and will tangle with ninth-ranked Zamboanga Sikat in the play-in involving teams ranked seventh to 10th after the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 26-team tournament. The winner between Imus and Zamboanga will then dispute the eighth and last playoff slot with the loser of the other play-in game between seventh-ranked Mindoro and No. 8 Basilan. The winner of the Mindoro-Zamboanga tussle advances outright to the quarterfinal playoffs. Sarangani closed its campaign this year with a 3-22 record. Joseph Marquez, a 6-foot-3 forward out of Our Lady of Fatima University, posted 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for Imus and was named the SportsPlus best player. Other Yangkees who delivered were Ian Pardo, with 16 points, including three game-clinching free throws in the last 8.7 seconds; homegrown Paul Christian Ferrer, with 13 points and 8 rebounds; and homegrown Patrick Dale Beltran, with 12 points, 7 rebounds and...

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