MBL semis under way in Meralco

Top seed PLDT Digital faces No. 12 OSG Patriots at the start of the semifinals of the Makabansa Basketball League Season 2 today at the Meralco Fitness Center.

Game time is at 8 a.m. to be followed by the games pitting second seed Senate Advocates against HOR Rulemakers at 10 a.m. and third seed Meralco Linemen vs 10th seed DOE Engineers at 12:30 p.m.

Twelve teams played a round-robin elimination round to determine the top 12 seedings in the semifinals of the event powered by Kings of the Court (KOTC) Sports Organizing Services, Inc. and sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Inc., Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Pazifik Power, Inc., Corporate Holdings Management, Inc., and the ANC Group of Companies.

PLDT Digital, Senate Advocates and Meralco Linemen finished tied with five straight wins, with PLDT Digital taking the top seed on higher rating points.

PLDT Digital had a higher rating of +213.25, with the Senate Advocates, last season’s champions, the second seed with +186 and Meralco Linemen third with +45.

Last year’s second runner-up, the DENR Environmental Warriors took the fourth seed (4-1, +193), the NLEX Road Movers fifth (4-1, +68), and PNP Peacekeepers sixth (3-2, +124).

The seventh to 12 seeds were SMART Dream Team (3-2,+41), Comelec Sentinels (3-2, -11), Office of the President Kamao (3-2, -18), DOE Energizers (3-2, -15.25), HOR Rulemakers (2-3, -20), and OSG Patriots (2-3,-121).

The teams compete in the knockout Round of 12 where the winners advance to the round of six. The remaining three teams play a single round robin in the semifinal, with the top contenders advancing to the finals in a bestof-three championship.

The MBL, a basketball tournament involving teams from different government offices and private groups, was formed to promote health and wellness, and foster camaraderie among the participants. Through sportsmanship and healthy competition, the MBL aims to solidify partnerships in and among the public and private sectors to better serve the public.

Games are held at the Meralco Fitness Center every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30-10:30 .m., and Saturday, Sunday, 8 a.m.-12:30 pm. Updates: Facebook at www.facebook.com/ makabansabasketballleague, Twitter @MakabansaBball, and Instagram @MakabansaBasketball.