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The TNT Tropang Giga did not let Magnolia get a chance to steal a win, 103-100, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, on Wednesday night, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Calvin Oftana led the team to its first win, scoring 42 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field, including nine three-pointers.

Aside from Oftana, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 41 points and 13 rebounds.

TNT coach Chot Reyes was also satisfied with the result of their match against Magnolia. He also said that the key to their win was their team effort and they focused on last night's match to get the victory.

"Our only focus for this game was effort. That was written on big letters on our board because I was very, very upset with the effort that we showed in the first two games. It's good to come out with a W but, you know... we don't want to win that way," coach Reyes said.

"Even before looking at the technical aspects of the game, not having Jayson (Castro) and Kelly (Williams) and Poy (Erram) as well in the first two games was a big blow for us. But still there's no excuse for not exerting our best effort," the 10-time champion mentor added.

"That was why I was very upset with the way we finished the game. We gave up eight points in the last 40 seconds and that goes against everything that we believed in and everything that we stand for as a team," added the multi-titled tactician.

Ricardo Ratliffe's 27 points were not enough to carry the Hotshots, while Calvin Abueva, Mark Barroca and Jerom Lastimosa each had 18 points each.

Meanwhile, on December 18, Wednesday, Magnolia will face coach Yeng Guiao's team at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, while Tropang Giga will target another win against Blackwater Bossing on Thursday, December 19, at the same venue.

The scores:

TNT 103 – Oftana 42, Hollis-Jefferson 41, Pogoy 6, Erram 6, Heruela 4, Nambatac 4, Razon 0, Galinato 0, Khobuntin 0, Varilla 0, Aurin 0.

Magnolia 100 – Ratliffe 27, Barroca 18, Abueva 18, Lastimosa 18, Sangalang 9, Eriobu 5, Dionisio 3, Mendoza 2, Dela Rosa 0, Ahanmisi 0, Balanza 0.

Quarters: 33-25; 52-48; 83-75; 103-100.

The Barangay Ginebra Kings won their first game against the NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday night, December 11, in the continuation of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, 109-100.

Stephen Holt led the way with 26 points, followed by Justin Brownlee with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Japeth Aguilar added 15.

Troy Rosario, in his debut for the Gin Kings, contributed nine markers and seven boards, although he shot just 4-for-11 from the field.

“We weren’t as tight as we would like to have been, but we had a good shooting night. That makes up a lot of execution mistakes when you can shoot the ball well,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

"He gets everybody back to comfortable positions. Troy coming in and playing the 4 and 3 positions allows Justin (Brownlee) on the opposite side and takes off some of the load in rebounding," Cone added.

Meanwhile, Mike Griffin-Watkins, who led NLEX with 27 points and 21 rebounds, was wasted, as were Robert Bolick’s 18 points, Kevin Alas’ 14 points and Enoch Valdez’ 11 points.

The Scores :

GINEBRA 109 – Holt 26, Brownlee 24, J.Aguilar 15, Ahanmisi 13, Rosario 9, Thompson 8, Abarrientos 6, Cu 6, Adamos 2, Pinto 0

NLEX 100 – Watkins 27, Bolick 18, Alas 14, Policarpio 13, Valdez 11, Torres 5, Semerad 4, Herndon 4, Rodger 2, Bahio 2, Mocon 0

QUARTERS :  20-22, 42-43, 78-66, 109-100

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters got their second straight win of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup after overcoming the defending champions San Miguel Beermen in their Tuesday night clash, December 10,  at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.

Import Deon Thompon posted 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks to lead the charge for RoS even though he was only limited to 31 minutes of play because of foul trouble.

Young guns took charge in the fourth quarter to supplement the game of their import.

Adrian Nocum led the youngsters with his 15 markers, to go along with four boards, five dimes, and four deflections, while Caelan Tiongson added 14 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti was also impressive with his 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal, while Keith Datu provided 12 markers, two boards, and a block.

Another young but tough E-Painters was Jhonard Clarito who also played a solid game by racking up a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, June Mar Fajardo paced the defending champion SMB with his 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Quincy Miller, who played his last game of the conference as San Miguel's reinforcement, produced 12 markers and 10 boards.

Torren Jones will replace Miller for the mid-season conference and will serve as Quincy's partner in the EASL.

The scores:

Rain or Shine 107 - Thompson 18, Nocum 15, Tiongson 14, Datu 12, Lemetti 12, Clarito 10, Santillan 9, Caracut 8, Asistio 4, Norwood 3, Ildefonso 2, Belga 0, Demusis 0.

San Miguel 93 - Fajardo 20, Tiongson 16, Miller 12, Tautuaa 10, Perez 9, Trollano 7, Cruz 7, Teng 5, Lassiter 3, Ross 3, Cahilig 1.

Quarter Scores: 19-25, 47-42, 70-72, 107-93.

Chris McLaughlin was impressive in his debut game as the new import of the Hong Kong Eastern in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.

McLaughlin posted 32 points, 23 rebounds, and three assists to lead Eastern to a 84-75 victory against the Blackwater Bossing on Tuesday night, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The win gave the Hong-Kong based squad their fourth victory in the five games they played in the league.

The 6-foot-10 McLaughlin replaced Cameron Clark who was sidelined by a hip flexor muscle injury.

Clark led Eastern in their three wins of the conference, including the 105-84 drubbed against the Governor's Cup champion, TNT Tropang Giga.

In the first half, HK Eastern looked like it was missing the services of Clark as Blackwater erected a 10-point lead before the break.

But the Hong Kong squad had an impressive 27-9 third quarter surge to grab the lead and maintained it until the final buzzer.

The Canadian reinforcement of Eastern said that he wanted to keep the game simple, pound the paint and play defense.

"Coming to the game, I wanted to keep it simple - take care of the paint, rebound, play defense and the rest of the game will come to me naturally," said McLaughlin.

"I've been here in Manila training with the team every practice and preparing for the moment in case I was called up to play so I stayed ready the whole time," he added.

HK Eastern mainstays Glen Yang and Kobey Lam added 14 and 10, respectively, helping McLaughlin in getting the win.

The victory lifted Eastern to solo third place behind unbeaten NorthPort (4-0) and Meralco (3-0).

On the other hand, Blackwater import George King exploded for 41 points. He scored 31 in the first half but was held to four in the third canto and six in the final period.

Blackwater dropped their third straight game to remain winless in the conference.

The Scores:

EASTERN 84 - McLaughlin 32, Yang 14, Lam 10, Guinchard 8, Xu 7, Cheung 5, Cao 4, Blankley 2, Pok 2, Chan 0, Zhu 0.

BLACKWATER 75 - King 41, Barefield 9, Suerte 9, Chua 4, Kwekuteye 4, David 4, Ilagan 3, Ponferrada 1, Casio 0, Hill 0, Guinto 0, Escoto 0.

Quarter Scores: 23-21, 39-49, 66-58, 84-75.

Rain or Shine will try to win their second straight game in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup against the San Miguel Beermen.

Their match-up will be held at 7:30 PM tonight at the FilOil Eco Oil Centre in San Juan City.

The Elasto Painters got their first win last Wednesday, December 4, against the Hong Kong Eastern to split their first two games of the conference. 

Meanwhile, San Miguel (1-1) blew a 16-point lead and dropped their game against NLEX (3-1) last Sunday, December 8.

RoS will once again rely on their import Deon Thompson who helped them in their win against the Hong Kong-based squad. Thompson scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his PBA debut.

“He changes the che­mistry for the better. Mas ma­ganda ‘yung ikot ng bo­la, tapos ang galing niyang du­mipensa,” said Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao.

“He’s got the inside game and the outside game. Kapag lumabas tunay na laro, mas magiging problema siya ng ibang team,” he added.

Rain or Shine will once again depend on Beau Belga, Andrei Caracut, Adrian Nocum, Leonard Santillan, and Keith Datu, while SMB will bank on their reinforcement Quincy Miller, eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, Mo Tautuaa, and new weapon Juami Tiongsion.

Mapua finally won another NCAA title in men’s basketball after 33 years of waiting.

The Cardinals overcame the College of St. Benilde Blazers, 94-82, in Game 2 of their best-of-three finals series to win their first championship since 1991.

The victory was a fitting gift for the university, which will mark its 100th year anniversary in January 2025.

In the first quarter, Benilde started the game with a 7-0 run, but their turnovers started to pile up resulting in a one-point advantage for Mapua after the period.

During the second quarter, Mapua had a 21-14 advantage as they took a 12-point lead before halftime.

The Cardinals poured 8-of-16 from the rainbow country in the second half to establish their authority and finally grabbed the championship after the final buzzer sounded.

As the tears flowed on the court, Mapua coach Randy Alcantara, said: "Siyempre, walang kasing sarap. After three tries, yung minimithi namin, finally nakuha namin."

Alcantara was named Coach of the Year, while Mapua main man Clint Escamis was the Finals MVP after averaging 24.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.0 steals.

Cy Cuenco top-scored for Mapua with 19 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the arch, while Lawrence Mangubat added 17, and the season’s top rookie, Chris Hubillia shared 15 and eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, Justine Sanchez poured in 24 points, nine boards, five assists and three steals in a losing effort for the Blazers. Tony Ynot also added 17, as Season MVP Allen Liwag had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The scores:

MAPUA 94 - Cuenco 19, Escamis 18, Mangubat 17, Hubilla 15, Recto 9, Igliane 8, Bancale 6, Garcia 2, Concepcion 0, Fermin 0.

BENILDE 82 - Sanchez 24, Ynot 17, Liwag 14, Sangco 7, Oli 7, Torres 5, Ancheta 4, Ondoa 2, Eusebio 2, Cometa 0, Cajucom 0.

Quarter Scores: 24-23; 45-37; 66-56; 94-82.

The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards are serious about getting back on top of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

NERV already starts their journey for the next season by signing players who can help them with their goal to reach the championship once again and win it all just like what they did in 2022.

They just recently signed the Marcelino twins.

Nueva Ecija believes that former MVP Jaycee Marcelino and his twin brother Jayvee will bring their explosiveness relentlessly while wearing the Rice Vanguards jersey.

The team also signed Dexter Maiquez, who can help mainstay Will McAloney in the paint.

Maiquez is a powerhouse inside with a sweet touch at the perimeter.

They also signed another former Zamboanga player in Ralph "Toci" Tansingco and University of Santo Tomas standout Christian Manaytay, who's a 6'5" lefty long-range shooter.

The new members of the Rice Vanguards will join the team's old reliable McAloney, Byron Villarias, Jonathan Uyloan, and the rest of the team.

Now that Nueva Ecija has a stronger lineup, they are now almost ready to get back to the Promised Land.

The rematch between De La Salle University and University of the Philippine in the UAAP Season 87 Men's Basketball Finals will bring lots of excitement.

In their Season 86 battle, the Green Archers captured the title in three games against the Fighting Maroons.

This year, DLSU will try to defend the crown under the leadership of coach Topex Robinson who steered the squad in their championship quest last year.

Robinson and La Salle will also once again rely on the heroics of the soon-to-be crowned back-to-back MVP Kevin Quiambao.

On the other hand, UP's coach Goldwin Monteverde and his wards would be eyeing to get revenge and bring back the title that they last won in Season 84 when they still have Carl Tamayo and Malick Diouf in their line-up.

Robinson had a 5-2 edge against Monteverde in their head-to-head battle.

The Finals will begin on Sunday, December 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, while Game 2 will be on Wednesday, December 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

If the championship series goes the distance, Game 3 will be played next Sunday, December 15 at the Big Dome.

Defending champion University of Santo Tomas excelled over the Adamson University Lady Falcons, 71-59, in the knockout step-ladder semifinal of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, December 4, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Growling Tigresses renewed its rematch against the unbeaten National University Lady Bulldogs for the second straight year. 

Kent Pastrana paced the victory for the black-and-gold highlighted by a double-double exhibition of 23 points and 16 rebounds to go along with eight assists, two steals, and one block. 

"Because we relaxed in the second quarter. We decided not to give confidence to the opponent because, of course, Adamson will fight to the end and they will not let their team lose," said Pastrana, who will be part of the mythical team for the third time. 

"We came back in the second half, we regrouped what we needed to adjust and our mistakes. We started with defense,” she added.

As the Growling Tigresses lost steam after a scorching 21-4 start, the Lady Falcons gained momentum before the end of the first quarter, which resulted in a 37-35 lead at the half. 

Midway through the third quarter, behind 39-43, Pastrana started to blaze through for the UST, putting up six points in a row to spark a 17-3 run that culminated with a short stab from CJ Maglupay for a 56-46 lead in the closing seconds of the quarter.

Adamson trimmed the deficit down to six after Kat Agojo sank a basket underneath, 60-54. With 3:45 remaining, however, Tacky Tacatac made a key corner triple to help UST hold off its opponent, 67-65.

With 1:41 remaining, Pastrana found Nicole Danganan free underneath on two straight possessions to seal the victory with a 71-57 edge.

CJ Maglupay’s performance was also pivotal for the Tigresses, finishing with a double-double of 13 markers and 11 boards along with six deflections. 

Tacatac and Bridgette Santos delivered 10 points apiece, with the latter adding a game-high seven steals.

“Credit also to Adamson, coach Ryan and the girls, they really gave us a hard time. Salute to them. It's all total team effort and at the end of the day our defense dictated in the second half against Adamson,” said UST coach Haydee Ong.

The Scores:

UST 71 – Pastrana 23, Maglupay 13, Santos 10, Tacatac 10, Ambos 7, Danganan 4, Sierba 4, Soriano 0, Bron 0, Amatong 0, Pescador 0, Relliquette 0.

Adamson 59 – Etang 12, Adeshina 12, A. Alaba 9, Apag 7, Agojo 6, Bajo 4, Limbago 4, Padilla 3, Manlimos 2, Meniano 0, Ornopia 0, E. Alaba 0, Mazo 0.

Quarter Scores: 21-12, 35-37, 56-48, 71-59

Rain or Shine gave Hong Kong Eastern their first loss in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, 99-81, on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. 

The Elasto Painters were led by their import Deon Thompson who was impressive in his debut game producing 21 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.

"We're happy with the way he performed. He was late coming in. Wala pa siyang isang linggo, but he changed our chemistry for the better. Mas maganda ang ikot ng bola namin sa kanya," said head coach Yeng Guiao about their reinforcement.

"He's got the inside game and the outside game. Medyo malas pa sa labas. Pag lumabas tunay na laro, mas magiging problema siya ng ibang team," he added.

The fiery mentor also pointed out that their defense holds the best three-point shooting team to only 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. He also added that while they're opponents were missing shots, they were making their own.

"Pumasok ang three-point shooting namin ngayon. Mas madaling manalo kung pumapasok ang three-point shooting," said Guiao.

Leonard Santillan helped RoS with his 18 markers, five boards, one dime, and a deflection, while Keith Datu and Caelan Tiongson added 10 apiece.

On the other hand, HK Eastern heavily relied on Cameron Clark who tallied 30 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

Sheik Muhammad Sulaiman and Yin Lung Cheung both scored 11 points to help Clark.

Hayden Blankley was not his usual self as he only had seven points in a poor 1-of-15 shooting from the field.

Kobe Lam's contributions were also deficient as he only gave six markers for the Hong Kong based team.

Glen Yang did not play as he was not with the team who flew in the country because of passport issues.

Eastern will try to bounce back when they face the TNT Tropang Giga on December 8 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, while the Elasto Painters will be seeking for their second straight victory against the San Miguel Beermen on December 10 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

The Scores:

RAIN OR SHINE 99 - Thompson 21, Santillan 18, Datu 10, Tiongson 10, Nocum 8, Ildefonso 8, Caracut 7, Belga 5, Clarito 4, Lemetti 3, Asistio 3, Demnusis 2.

EASTERN 81 - Clark 30, Cheung 11, Sulaiman 11, Cao 9, Blankley 7, Lam 6, Zhu 5, Guinchard 2, Chan 0, Leung 0, Pok 0, Xu 0.

Quarter Scores: 24-18, 43-34, 70-64, 99-81.

NorthPort won their first three assignments in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup to take the solo spot on top of the team standings.

The Batang Pier overcame the Magnolia Hotshots, 107-103, on Wednesday, December 4 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to get their third straight win.

Joshua Munzon led their defensive unit to strike any Magnolia's attempt to steal the victory from them.

Munzon scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help them win, but his game-high five steals highlighted his contributions.

"If we defend at a high level, I think we'll give ourselves a good chance to win more games," said Munzon.

NorthPort stole the ball 15 times and forced the Hotshots to commit 24 turnovers. The Batang Pier also registered seven blocks.

Import Kareem Jack was also solid, producing 30 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Arvin Tolentino also played a key role in their success as he logged 27 points, four rebounds, one steal and a block.

NorthPort also relied on the running game as they had a 22-6 advantage in fastbreak points.

On the other hand, rookie Jerom Lastimosa took over the spot of the injured Paul Lee and played his breakout game wearing Magnolia jersey.

Lastimosa produced 27 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in a losing cause.

Rome Dela Rosa, Mark Barroca, and Aris Dionisio help their prized rookie with 16, 14, and 13, respectively.

The Hotshots did not get much from their hulking import Ricardo Ratliffe who's suffering from a nagging shoulder.

Ratliffe only had 10 markers and 13 boards - far from the usual numbers that he can produce in a game.

NorthPort will try to protect their clean slate on Sunday, December 8, against the TNT Tropang Giga at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Magnolia will be back on the court on December 11, also against TNT at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Scores:

NORTHPORT 107 – Jack 30, Tolentino 27, Munzon 25, Yu 9, Nelle 5, Navarro 4, Flores 4, Onwubere 3, Bulanadi 0, Tratter 0, Miranda 0, Cuntapay 0.

MAGNOLIA 103 – Lastimosa 27, Dela Rosa 16, Barroca 14, Dionisio 13, Ratliffe 10, Eriobu 7, Sangalang 6, Lucero 4, Ahanmisi 3, Abueva 3, Mendoza 0.

Quarter Scores: 28-31; 59-52; 77-78; 107-103.

Hong Kong Eastern’s Cameron Clark displayed notable performances in the first week of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup to earn Reinforcement of the Week honors.

After the now-defunct Bay Area Dragons had a successful stint in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the league introduced Hong Kong Eastern as the fresh guest team with Clark as their import.

Clark performed admirably as he put up impressive numbers, recording averages of 32 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 3.5 stocks (blocks+steals) on 59.6 true shooting percentage.

Having played for other teams in the past, Clark relied on his extensive knowledge in playing with the style in the PBA. He has been the ideal go-to guy for a young club that needs a veteran presence.

His ability to play bigger than his size, which enables him to dominate inside the paint on offense and hold his own against opposing bigs on defense, is the key to Clark's success in the PBA. 

Clark has the skills to succeed in this league, as evidenced by his well-honed mid-range game, which saw him make 58.7% of his shots in Eastern's two victories.

After being shackled by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their December 4 game to absorb their first loss of the conference, Clark and the HK Eastern will look to bounce back when they face the TNT Tropang Giga on Friday, December 6, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Terrafirma Dyip has decided to replace their PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup import Ryan Richards.

The decision was made after Richards just showed lackluster performances in their first three games of the conference resulting in no wins at all.

Richards just played one second in their game against the NorthPort because of some back issues and only 17 minutes in the first half against NLEX as he only logged in six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Dyip already found a replacement for the 6'11" British-Jamaican, he's none other than Brandon Edwards, who's also familiar with the team's system as he already practiced with them in the last conference.

Edwards just suffered an ACL injury during the preseason that's why he was replaced by Antonio Hester.

According to Terrafirma head coach Raymond Tiongco, Richards can't cope up with the system they run that's why Edwards was once again tapped by the team.

“Regarding sa import, last game na niya. We decided na last game na niya, actually. Talagang hindi siya pabor sa sistemang tinatakbo namin. He is too slow. Siya naman, aminado naman siya na hindi siya makakasabay sa gusto naming mangyari,” said Tiongco.

The Dyip is expecting the 6-foot-6 Edwards to play on Friday, December 6, when they face the Meralco Bolts at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“Biyernes, sana, nandito na 'yung import namin. Nasa Indonesia siya tapos he contacted us. 'Yung mga gusto sana namin, nasa US, kaso hindi aabot ng Friday. Hinabol ko siya today pero 'yung Indonesia team, medyo nalate 'yung release ng papers," Tiongco added.

“Bago siya umalis sa Indonesia, nagpapractice siya sa amin. Alam niya 'yung nira-run namin,” he ended.

Meralco’s Bong Quinto has been named the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week for the period of November 27 to December 1.

Quinto became one of the key factors why the Bolts paraded a 2-0 start in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. He stepped up despite having a persistent knee injury and a string of absences within Meralco’s roster.

“My mindset is to help the team as much as I can,” said Quinto.

Quinto averaged 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists for the midseason conference which saw the Bolts prevail over the Phoenix Fuel Masters and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

In a thrilling 111-109 victory over Phoenix at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last November 29, Quinto led Meralco by delivering 14 markers, while also pulling down five boards, and dishing out five dimes.

Two days later at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, he recorded 20 points, four rebounds, and provided four assists in a 121-111 victory over Rain or Shine as import Akil Mitchell had to leave early because of a broken nose.

Fellow Bolts Chris Newsome and NorthPort Batang Pier’s Arvin Tolentino were also given strong consideration by members of the media who frequently covered the PBA beat.

Quinto has embraced his new role regardless of his nagging right knee as Meralco started the second conference without key players like Chris Banchero, Allein Maliksi, Brandon Bates, and rookie CJ Cansino.

“The first few games will dictate our conference,” the former Colegio de San Juan de Letran product said. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, and we’ll see what happens next.”

Meralco will look to log their third win against Terrafirma Dyip on Friday, December 6, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The San Miguel Beermen will open their PBA Commissioner’s Cup title defense against the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Tuesday, December 3, 7:30 PM at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

San Miguel will be parading returning-import Quincy Miller, who’s also their reinforcement in the East Asia Super League or EASL.

Miller already played in the league before when he suited up for Converge. Now playing for the powerhouse Beermen, he will continue to bring his versatility and scoring prowess.

Meanwhile, league’s eighth-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and reigning Finals MVP CJay Perez are going to lead the SMB’s local unit in their campaign to win the crown anew.

As they battle Phoenix tonight that’s searching for their first win of the conference, San Miguel will be depending on their championship pedigree to make a statement right away.

The combined forces of Miller and Beermen local unit will have a huge advantage if they start their campaign with a bang.