Arvin Tolentino scored his career-high 51 points in a romp made by NorthPort Batang Pier against Converge FiberXers, 135-109, on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Tolentino’s career-best broke the previous franchise record 50 points established by NorthPort’s former gunner Stanley Pringle during the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup.It was also the last 51-point production in the league since Asi Taulava had the same score back in 2004 where TNT won over Purefoods, 131-105 during the Fiesta Cup.According to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon, Allan Caidic and Rudy Distrito were the last two homegrown players to hit more than 50 points. Caidic recorded a league-high 79 points on November 21, 1991 while Distrito scored 54 in Tivoli’s 162-149 over Ginebra.Adding flavor to Tolentino’s career game was his 15-of-27 shooting from the field - 10-of-14 from two-point range and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc while nailing a perfect 16-of-16 from the stripes.The First Mythical Team Member for the 48th Season breached the 50-point barrier with 2:01 left in the fourth on a jumper from the left wing, and was replaced shortly thereafter, receiving high fives from NorthPort coaches and players.

Filipino tanker Ernie Gawilan wrapped up his third Paralympic stint as he missed out on the podium finish in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 finals round at the Paris La Defense Arena late Monday night, September 2 (Philippine time).A medal remained elusive for the 33-year-old para swimmer after finishing sixth place with a registered time of 5:03.18.Federico Bicelli of Italy snared the gold medal with an impressive 4:38.70 finish. Andrii Trusov of Ukraine and Inaki Basiloff of Argentina clinched the silver and bronze medal after clocking 4:40.17 and 4:40.27, respectively.Gawilan became the third Filipino athlete to exit the Paralympics after para archer Agustina Bantiloc and para taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin.With Gawilan no longer in the medal contention, the Philippine delegation in the Paralympics is now down to three — Jerrold Mangliwan, who will compete in the men’s 100-meter T52, Cendy Asusano, who will contest in the women’s javelin throw F54, and Angel Otom, who will vie for gold in the 50-meter backstroke S5 and 50-meter butterfly S5.

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala demonstrated resilience as she scored a comeback win following her failed US Open qualifying bid.The unfazed 19-year-old Eala continued her quest for international glory after drubbing Victoria Hu of United States, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, in the opening round of the Women’s Tennis Professionals or WTA 2024 Guadalajara 125 Open on Tuesday, September 3 (Philippine time).The young Filipina sustained Hu’s hard serves and blew past the second-set tiebreaker before finding her rhythm in the third frame. She then held serve in the sixth to open her biggest lead of the match which she made sure not to relinquish. Eala closed out in the 10th to secure the two-hour, 40 minute win to move into the Round of 16 of the tournament. The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate will need to brace herself for a tougher challenge as her win against Hu arranged her a meet with fourth seed and world No. 99 Tatjana Maria of Germany.Eala and Maria encountered each other three times in WTA tournaments in 2023, with the German beating her in all of their previous matchups. 

Choco Mucho team captain Maddie Madayag is set to embark on a new journey after signing with Kurobe Aqua Fairies of the Japan SV.League for the 2024-25 season. It will be Madayag’s first overseas playing stint, joining outside spiker Lena Stigrot of Germany and opposite hitter Iris Scholten of the Netherlands as Kurobe’s imports. Choco Mucho has been extremely supportive of Madayag’s opportunity to play for her second professional team as an import.

George King led a regal performance of 44 points, while Sedrick Barefield added 32 more markers to give Blackwater the dub Tuesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.After delivering a 33-point, 19-rebound performance in his PBA debut against Barangay Ginebra last Frida, King made another impactful game as he exploded for his second double-double scoring 44 and grabbing 13 boards for the Bossing, which lead as much as 19.The local unit of Blackwater was led again by their top rookie Sedrick Barefield who hit a three-pointer at the final 1:10 mark of the game to seal the win for the Bossing, and marked the victory with another ‘night night’ gesture.RK Ilagan and Troy Rosario helped out also in the offensive end, scoring 14 and 12 respectively. Ilagan also added five boards and the same number of dimes to his name.

Barangay Ginebra walloped NLEX, 119-91, on Tuesday to get back on winning track in the 49th Season Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.Coming from a 95-88 upset by Blackwater, Ginebra fired on all cylinders in the first half with a 60-percent clip from the field and ended it with a 63-41 lead.Stephen Holt played his best game as a Gin King, leading the team in scoring with 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing off six assists.Maverick Ahanmisi added 20 markers for the team while Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos also played their best game for the conference by producing 19 points each in helping the Gin Kings evened their record at 2-2 in Group B.Resident import Justine Brownlee put up only 13 markers in 38 minutes of play but still grabbed seven boards and dished nine dimes.

The TNT Tropang Giga claimed a share of leading the Group A after overpowering the still winless Terrafirma Dyip, 107-89 in their match last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Rondae Hollis-Jefferson just shook off a nagging ankle injury to lead TNT in their win as he registered 26 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks.

Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio bared that she is determined to end the Philippines’ century-long quest for an elusive Olympic boxing gold.It was a change of heart for the two-time Olympic medalist after insinuating at the 2024 Paris Games being her final curtain call of competing in the quadrennial showpiece.Despite once again missing out on the top prize, Petecio expressed her desire to give it a try again as the Olympic fire still ignites within her.

Calvin Oftana scored a team-high 25 points, while Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro provided veteran-smarts in TNT Tropang Giga’s 108-99 win over Meralco on Thursday night in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The trio powered the Tropang Giga from a mere 100-97 lead into a more comfortable 106-97 cushion with 50 seconds of play remaining.Oftana’s 25 points (eight in the fourth quarter) included sinking six three-pointers, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing off three assists.TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also helped out by producing 22 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.Jayson Castro contributed 12 markers, four boards and four dimes, while Kelly Williams scored nine points in his 15:45 playing time, and did his usual job in the defensive end.

Filipino woodpusher Daniel Quizon earned the coveted Grandmaster title in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad at BOK Sports Hall in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday, September 14.The 20-year-old Quizon accomplished his dream of achieving the GM title after outlasting 64-year-old Grandmaster Igor Efimov in 37 moves of a King’s Indian Defense to earn two rating points needed to reach the 2500 ranking. With this feat, Quizon, who hails from Dasmariñas, Cavite, became the 17th Grandmaster of the Philippines.. The country last earned a GM was in 2011 with Oliver Barbosa and Richard Bitoon. Meanwhile in 2017, Janelle Mae Frayna became the Philippines’ first and only woman Grandmaster. 

University of the Philippines continued its strong campaign in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament as they demolished National University to record their third straight victory on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.The Fighting Maroons delivered haymakers after another to suffocate the Bulldogs from the beginning and finished the game with an 89-62 victory.An early onslaught by the State U's wards made the people forget that the game was expected to be a close encounter as the two squads had been in the Final Four last season.The game seemed like it was already over in the first half alone as the UP already erected a 31-point lead, 53-22 at the end of it.Same scenario happened in the second half of play as the Fighting Maroons continued their dominance and even reached the peak of their lead at 39 off Harold Alarcon's three-pointer.Mark Belmonte and JD Cagulangan led the domination with their combined 27 points. Belmonte also collared three boards and dished three assists, while Cagulangan had four dimes and two rebounds.On the other side, only Jake Figueroa finished in double-figures with 11 markers for the Bulldogs.

University of the Philippines reclaimed its winning ways after fending off Far Eastern University, 82-77, in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday, September 22, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.The win improved the Fighting Maroons’ record to a 2-2 slate, putting them tied with Ateneo de Manila University for the fourth spot in the standings.

Joe Devance is coming out of retirement to mark his PBA comeback for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel ahead of their 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals opening game against Meralco on Thursday, September 26.The 42-year-old Devance announced the development on his Instagram account after posting a copy of the PBA memo on Tuesday, September 23.

The Philippine Sports Commission has begun the preparations for the 11th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games scheduled in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on December 1 to 5.The tournament aims to foster excellence and camaraderie in sports among young people in the sub-region.PSC commissioner Walter Torres on Thursday, July 18, assured the successful production of the games, which features athletics, archery, badminton, karate, swimming, sepak takraw, pencak silat, and e-sports.City Tourism Department (CTD) chief Demetrio Alvior Jr. said representatives from BIMP-EAGA visited the country last May to discuss the friendship games, as there are specific requirements that need to be met, particularly because most of the attendees will be Muslims.One of the requirements is halal certification, which Puerto Princesa City and Palawan currently do not have. However, according to Alvior, they are already taking measures to address this issue before the friendship games.“The only challenging part for us is accommodating those coming from Muslim countries since we don’t have a large halal restaurant here. However, we already have strategies in place to address this,”said Alvior.The CTD chief also mentioned that the federation handling the event initially wanted all food to be halal and uniformly served to all Muslim delegates, regardless of the hotel they are staying.“This is a significant and somewhat delicate event, but it is also a test to see if we are serious about advancing in sports. We need to participate in these major events to identify what we still lack and what needs improvement,” he added.Puerto Princesa City will host the BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games for the second time. The first was in 2003.Brunei Darussalam’s capital Bandar Seri Begawan played host in the last edition of the games.

The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) has announced that all games scheduled for Thursday, July 25, have been canceled due to the inclement weather brought by Typhoon Carina.The league made the announcement on Wednesday, prioritizing the safety and well-being of players, staff, and fans.In a statement, the league said, “Due to the inclement weather brought by Typhoon Carina, all Premier Volleyball League games scheduled for Thursday, July 25, have been postponed and will be moved to a later date. Stay safe and dry.”PLDT was supposed to face Farm Fresh at 1:00 pm at the PhilSports Arena with the High Speed Hitters looking to continue their unbeaten start that saw them clinch two wins. Meanwhile, the Foxies would have been looking to get their breakthrough after falling 0-2 in Pool A.Creamline and Nxled were also scheduled for their 3:00 pm encounter with Cool Smashers eyeing for back-to-back wins while the Chameleons were vying for their second win in three games.Chery Tiggo, who are also undefeated in Pool A with a 2-0 slate, were originally set to slug it out against Galeries Tower at 5:00 pm.The league will announce the rescheduled dates for these matches at a later time.

Capital1’s Russian reinforcement, Marina Tushova, reset the Premier Volleyball League record books by scoring 45, powering her team past Choco Mucho in a thrilling five-set encounter at the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) on Thursday, August 1, at the PhilSports Arena.Tushova’s 45-point explosion surpassed the previous record of 44 points set by Dominica Priscilla Rivera of Akari during the 2022 Reinforced Conference.The Russian outside hitter poured 43 kills, one block, and an ace to complete the Solars Spikers come-from-behind victory that set their best start in the league so far with a 2-2 record in Pool B.Tushova also hard-carried the defensive side of the ball in the win with 18 excellent receptions and 12 excellent digs as middle blocker Des Clemente tallied seven points off four blocks, while Julia Ipac scored six.On the other hand, Choco Mucho’s Greek import, Zoi Faki, scored a conference-best 28 in the losing cause as the Flying Titans sank to a 1-3 slate in Pool B.Dindin Santiago-Manabat contributed 16 points with 12 attacks, two blocks, and two aces, while Maddie Madayag and Royse Tubino added eight markers apiece.Capital1 will look to sustain its momentum when they face ZUS Coffee, while Choco Mucho will aim to recover when they face Petro Gazz on Tuesday, August 6, at the same venue. 

Akari came out on top as the league’s last undefeated team after dealing Cignal its first loss in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena on Tuesday, August 6.The Chargers finished their Pool B games with a 15-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22 victory against the HD Spikers, pushing them down to a 4-1 for second. American reinforcement Oly Okaro led the massive charge with 24 points anchored on 22 attacks, one ace, and one block, while Ivy Lacsina chipped in 14 markers from 12 attacks as the Chargers ended the first round with a clean 5-0 slate.Ced Domingo contributed 10, four coming from the total 12 blocks of Akari. Kamille Cal seemed to be adjusting well as the starting playmaker with 14 excellent sets to go with eight points, including three blocks.Gretchel Soltones also had an all-performance with eight points, 19 receptions, and 11 digs.HD Spikers’ Venezuelan import MJ Perez was the only one to score in double digits with 24 points, along with 11 receptions, and nine digs. Riri Meneses and Ces Molina added nine and eight markers, respectively, in the losing effort. Both teams will enter the next round as part of the top three in their group, facing the bottom three from Pool A.

Veteran guard Alex “The Crunchman” Cabagnot has returned to the Philippine Basketball Association by signing a two-conference deal with the Converge last Monday, August 5.The nine-time PBA champion came back to help the young FiberXers to become a much better team especially with the arrival of the 49th Season first overall pick Justine Baltazar who’s also seen as Justin Arana’s potential partner in the paint to form their own twin tower combination.Cabagnot will also team-up with the much improved Alec Stockton whom he can train to be an elite point guard, team leader and a crunch time scorer just like him.

Team USA stormed back from a potential upset against Serbia to return to the gold medal game in the Olympics men’s basketball tournament.The Americans defeated the Serbians 95-91 at the Bercy Arena on Friday, August 9 (PH time), after bouncing back from a 17-point deficit.Stephen Curry showcased his best of the tournament by producing 36 points on 9 of 14 shooting behind the arc while LeBron James recorded his second triple double in the Olympics (first player to do it in history) by scoring 16 points, grabbing 12 boards and dishing off 10 assists.Entering the fourth period, the Serbians still have a 13-point cushion but Curry and James together with Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant showed their poise in the final canto where they went on a 14-2 run which turned an 84-77 deficit to a comfortable 91-86 lead with 1:41 remaining in the game.A three-point play from Bogdan Bogdanovic and a short stab by Nikola Jokic got Serbia to within two, the last time at 93-91 with 8.2 seconds remaining but Curry iced the game with his two free throws to finally put the Serbians away.Team USA will now have a finals rematch against host country France whom they also beat in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to win their fourth straight gold in the Summer Games.The gold medal game will be scheduled at 3:30 a.m on August 11, Sunday (PH time).On the other hand, Serbia will battle Germany for the bronze medal at 5:00 p.m on August 10, Saturday (PH time).

Chery Tiggo overcame a second set stumble and took down Galeries Tower in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig on Thursday night, August 8.The Chery Tiggo Crossovers capped the first round on a high note with a commanding four-set win over the Galeries Towers Highrisers, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 25-16.Spiker Ara Galang led the team’s local offense with 16 points built on 11 attacks and five blocks, while import Khat Bell, despite nursing a minor back injury, still tallied a game-high 25 markers on 21 attacks, three blocks, and one ace to go along with 12 excellent receptions and eight excellent digs.