M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala Cebu spoiled the party Misamis Oriental had prepared as it pulled off a vengeful 75-71 win and won the 8th leg of the Tournament of the Philippines on Friday at the Xavier University gym in Cagayan de Oro City.

A day after a near free-for-all melee, the Niños leaned on the heroics of Mark Ababon to become the first three-leg winner of the tournament jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League and Liga Pilipinas.

With Cebu holding on to a 72-71 lead and a huge partisan crowd egging the home team, Ababon was able to throw his shot from rainbow country off the outstretched arms of Meteors' guard Khiel Misa plus a foul to boot.

Ababon, a former star for the University of the Visayas, muffed his bonus try but the score remained intact as the Niños put on a solid defensive stand.

With the win, the Cebuano cagers secured the top spot in the TOP playoffs slated two weeks from now after compiling a total of 49 points in the four legs they already played. The loss kept the Meteors in second spot with a total of 39 points.