Colegio de San Juan de Letran is not done reloading its roster just yet.

The Squires have added another key piece to their arsenal, securing the commitment of former University of the East standout Jolo Pascual to strengthen their title defense bid in the NCAA Season 102 Juniors Basketball Tournament.

The 6-foot-2 guard will reunite with former Junior Warrior teammates Eoin Braga, Mhico Abellar, and Ethan Oraa, along with head coach Andrew Estrella — who previously served as UE’s tactician during its championship run in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament in 2024.

“Siyempre unang-una, very excited ako kasi magkakasama ulit kami sa iisang team. Naging teammates ko na sila before kaya may chemistry at familiarity na agad kami sa isa’t isa,” Pascual told Tiebreaker Times on Tuesday afternoon.

“Masaya rin ako na si Coach Andrew ulit ang magiging coach namin dahil alam niya yung strengths namin at kung paano kami i-guide. Excited ako sa bagong journey na ’to at sa chance na makatrabaho ulit sila para ma-achieve namin yung goals namin bilang team.”

Pascual played a pivotal role in the Junior Warriors’ championship campaign in the UAAP’s 16-under tournament last Season 87, teaming up with Mav Mesina, Gab Delos Reyes, and Goodluck Okebata.

When he was promoted to the 19-and-under division in Season 88, the Tarlac City native provided steady contributions, averaging 5.29 points, 1.29 rebounds, 1.29 assists, and 0.64 steals in 17 minutes and 15 seconds per game.

“UE will always be a big part of my journey. Doon ko natutunan yung discipline, pagiging coachable, at kung paano harapin ang challenges. Yung mga natutunan ko at mga experiences ko doon ang dadalhin ko sa Letran para mas lalo pang mag-grow, not just a player,” Pascual shared.

Beyond the UAAP, Pascual also gained international experience as part of Gilas Pilipinas Youth, helping lead the squad to a flawless championship run in the 2025 SEABA U16 Qualifiers and competing in the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup.

The 17-year-old guard averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the SEABA qualifiers before posting 7.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup.

“Sobrang grateful ako na naging part ako ng Gilas Youth. Hindi lang dahil sa opportunity na isuot yung Pilipinas jersey, kundi dahil sa mga lessons na natutunan ko sa loob at labas ng court. Mas naging disciplined ako, mas naging mature yung mindset ko, at mas ginanahan akong magtrabaho para maabot yung susunod na level,” Pascual expressed.

Letran also secured another former UE player in Bench Copada, who previously teamed up with Pascual and others during the National Capital Region’s bronze-medal finish in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa last May.

Copada saw limited action in the Junior Warriors’ fifth-place finish in the Season 88 Boys Basketball Tournament, appearing in only six of 14 games.

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Biñan-Tatak Gel kept its outright semifinal hopes alive with an 87-48 shellacking of Caloocan in the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League at the Uratex Showroom in Muntinlupa on Sunday.

The Angels, coming off a narrow 48-52 loss to the Akari-Rizal Sparks, bounced back in dominant fashion to improve to 6-3 and move into solo third place.

The victory also secured Biñan-Tatak Gel an elimination-round head-to-head sweep of Caloocan in the league backed by Aktive, after also winning their first-round encounter, 102-67.

(C) WMPBL

“Good win, at least na-run namin ‘yung mga pinag-ensayuhan namin dito sa laro na ito,” said Angels head coach Jack Azcueta.

“Hopefully, makuha rin namin ‘yung next game para heading into the playoffs mataas ‘yung kumpyansa ng mga bata,” he added, as Biñan looks to close out the elimination round strong next Sunday against RK Hoops-Quezon City 10 ACT.

Trailing by just five after the opening quarter, Biñan-Tatak Gel took control in the second period, outscoring Caloocan, 25-12, to build a 40-22 halftime lead.

From there, the floodgates opened as the Angels stretched the margin to as many as 42 points behind the combined efforts of Justine Domingo, Luisa San Juan, and Eka Soriano, who spearheaded a 31-7 third-quarter run for a 71-29 lead.

It was a total team effort for Biñan, with 10 players scoring at least four points, led by Domingo’s 12.

Danica Pacia posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Ria Nabalan and Soriano added 10 points apiece.

San Juan chipped in nine points and seven rebounds while finishing a game-high plus-27 in just 15 minutes and 24 seconds of action.

(C) WMPBL

Janeth Sison and Tin Capilit scored eight points each as the Lady Kankaloo absorbed their third consecutive loss to fall to 1-7.

Caloocan will next face Quezon City on Wednesday.

The Scores:

Biñan-Tatak Gel 87 – Domingo 12, Nabalan 10, Pacia 10, Soriano 10, San Juan 9, Abaca 8, Quingco 6, Gonato 5, Del Carmen 4, Faraon 4, Paraiso 2, Geli 2, Jimenez 2, Santos 2, Cabinbin 1.

Caloocan 48 – Capilit 8, Sison 8, Camagong 7, Pedregosa 7, Serrano 7, Felisarta 5, Batnag 3, Marcos 2, Alpanghi 1, Candido 0, Gonzalo 0, Vega 0, Madrid 0.

Quarterscores: 15-10, 40-22, 71-29, 87-48.

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Abra Solid North handed Meycauayan Marilao a harsh reality check on Friday in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the One Arena Cainta in Rizal Province.

The defending champions cruised to a dominant 101-75 victory in the nightcap to improve to 10-1, moving closer to the leaders in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.

Abra remains behind North Division leader Caloocan (11-1) and just ahead of San Juan (9-1) in the race for playoff positioning. In the South Division, Quezon Province leads with an unbeaten 8-0 record, followed by General Santos City at 12-1.

Jake Figueroa paced the Weavers with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists, earning Best Player of the Game honors. He received ample support from Shaun Ildefonso, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, and Encho Serrano, who added 13 points and three assists. Fil-Am DJ Fenner chipped in nine points and four rebounds.

Mike Ayonayon capped Abra’s dominance with an alley-oop finish off a Nico Elorde pass that stretched the lead to its largest at 88-53 with 5:46 remaining.

The loss snapped Meycauayan Marilao’s five-game winning streak as the Gems dropped to 7-4. Jayson Apolonio led the team with 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Agem Miranda scored 14 points.

Jimboy Pasturan contributed 12 points, three rebounds, and four assists, and Shawn Argente added 11 points.

Abra controlled the rebounding battle, 53-32, with 6-foot-8 Drex Delos Reyes grabbing seven boards to help Figueroa and Ildefonso.

In the earlier game, Parañaque leaned on a stellar performance from Marlon Monte to upset Imus, 102-96, and snap a 13-game losing streak.

Monte erupted for a career-high 34 points, including 18 in the pivotal third quarter, while also collecting six rebounds, five assists, and two steals to earn Best Player of the Game honors. Domark Matillano also played a key role with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three steals.

Samuel Peralta contributed 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Jomar Santos added 12 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Jobert Medina chipped in nine points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Ryusei Koha orchestrated the offense with 11 assists to go along with five points and two steals.

Imus fell to 2-10 despite strong performances from Eroll Soriano, who tallied 24 points and eight rebounds, and Jordan Rios, who posted 21 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Regie Boy Basibas added 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Joseph Mark Marquez recorded 14 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists. Janjan Salazar finished with 13 points, 12 assists, three rebounds, and three steals.

Meanwhile, Marikina was awarded a 20-0 forfeiture victory over Iloilo in the second game, improving to 5-8.

Iloilo dropped to 2-8. Under FIBA rules, the official score for a forfeited game is 20-0.

The MPBL returns to the One Arena Cainta on Saturday with a triple-header featuring Biñan against Zamboanga at 4 p.m., Caloocan versus Mindoro at 6 p.m., and Batangas taking on Negros at 8 p.m.

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