Unbeaten Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines shoot for a share of the lead when it battles resurgent Pasig Sta. Lucia at 7 p.m.on Saturday in the OKbet-MPBL 4th Season presented by Xtreme at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Zamboanga is on a 4-game roll and is the slight pick to derail Pasig, which is enjoying a 3-game run after dropping its debut in the 22-team tournament.
Also on tap is the Quezon City-Pampanga tussle at 5 p.m. and the San Juan-Laguna collision at 9 p.m.
Toting a 2-3 record, Pampanga is riding the momentum of its 75-68 victory over Laguna on Tuesday and is hoping to hand Quezon City its second straight defeat.
Hardly a shade of its once-dominant stature, San Juan Go for Gold has dropped 2-in-a-row for a 1-3 slate and needs a victory over Laguna Krah Asia (1-2) to get back on track.
Parading a solid roster, Zamboanga has beaten Caloocan (91-70), Makati (99-61), San Juan (95-89) and Marikina (91-76) in succession to stay close behind pacesetters Nueva Ecija, Batangas and Sarangani, all with 5-0 records.
The Zamboanguenos will again lean on Jhaymo Eguilos and Chito Jayme, Jhaps Bautista, homegrown John Mahari and the Marcelino twins, Jaycee and Jayvee, to foil the Realtors, who are being powered by the troika of Carlo Lastimosa, Jason Melano and Jun Manzo.
Zamboanga owns a 94-point per game average and an impressive 20-point winning margin thus far.
Led by Lastimosa, Pasig is averaging 84 points an outing while yielding an average of 69.25.