Number 7 spot playoff entry for NorthPort after powering through Ginebra

“Final: 100 – 97 in favor of the NorthPort Batang Pier! Best Player: Robert Bolick Jr. with 24 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists #PBALabanKungLaban” (Photo: PBA/Facebook)

NorthPort Batang Pier is officially in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup playoffs after escaping Barangay Ginebra, 100-97, last Wednesday, April 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Robert Bolick, Jr. was the hero of the game as he scored 24 points, including the vital three-pointer in the last 52.9 seconds of the game that put his team up, 98-97. Sean Anthony, who suffered from injury later during the game, also contributed 19 points, while Mo Tautuaa added 17 points. For the Kings, it was Greg Slaughter, Jervy Cruz, and Sol Mercado who had double-digits, contributing 14 points, 13 points, and 10 points respectively.

This is the fifth win for NorthPort during their last 11 elimination round games, having to face Rain or Shine in the playoffs, who stands at number two. At one point in the season, NorthPort was struggling with snapping a six-game skid; head coach Pido Jarencio sharing in a mix of English and Filipino, “For us, we did well in our last three games and it inserted outright in the quarters. It’s a blessing for our team.” He says with excitement, “We’re back in business! We’re still thankful we’re able to hurdle Ginebra. We all know Ginebra is Ginebra—it’s a complete team, well-coached and it’s running a good system. It just boiled down on the breaks of the game.” Coach Pido also applauds ‘Player of the Game’ Bolick for his performance, adding, “Regarding this game, Robert made the big shot.”

On the other hand, despite their loss, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone was proud of what his players showed as well, telling the media, “The way we played was more important than winning the basketball game for us tonight. Obviously, it won’t be that way in the playoffs but tonight, playing hard and playing the right way was the priority and the goal.”