Robert Bolick churned out a rare triple-double as NorthPort blew past Alaska, 122-94, to end the 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup eliminations Thursday evening at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Robert Bolick churned out a rare triple-double as NorthPort blew past Alaska, 122-94, to end the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup eliminations, Thursday evening at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The third-year guard finished with 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor, together with 13 rebounds and 13 assists as the Batang Pier finished with a 6-5 record to clinch the fifth seed for the quarterfinals.
They will now face the no. 4 team San Miguel Beer in the next round in a best-of-three series that could commence by next week.
“This is a good momentum for us, at least galing sa panalo. And then, we’re gonna carry it on to the playoffs, against alam naman natin, the mighty San Miguel Beer team,” said head coach Pido Jarencio.
Rookie Jamie Malonzo also made his presence felt in the triumph with a career-high 21 points with six rebounds and four assists. Paolo Taha made 18 points, as Sidney Onwubere and Troy Rike added 13 and 12 markers, respectively.
Collective effort from the Batang Pier was in full display in the win but the night clearly belonged to Bolick, who registered the league’s first triple-double since Nov. 3, 2020 courtesy of Calvin Abueva when he was still with Phoenix.
The San Beda great achieved the rare feat just inside three quarters, when he collected his 10th assist following a lead pass to Taha for a lay-up that pushed their lead to 24, 84-60, with 4:49 left in the third canto.
Bolick was also the one who sparked NorthPort’s second quarter breakaway, scoring the first six points of a 10-0 run that inflated an eight-point cushion to a comfortable 56-38 edge approaching the three-minute mark.
“Thank you kay God at sa lahat ng sumuporta sa amin. Siyempre, di ko naman magagawa yun na wala ang coaching staff na naniniwala sa lahat ng players dito eh. Sa kanila nagsisimula lahat. Credit kina coach,” said Bolick.
Their victory also boded well for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel as the reigning champions remained alive in the race. The Gin Kings are set to face the Fuel Masters in a playoff for the eighth and final quarters berth on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Jeron Teng led Alaska with 18 points and six rebounds as they failed to finish the conference strong.
It was practically a non-bearing game for the Aces, as they were already booted out of contention following yesterday’s heartbreaking loss to San Miguel Beer through Marcio Lassiter’s last-gasp three-pointer.
The Milkmen, who had to play games in consecutive fashion to make up for lost time after being out of action for two weeks in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols, ended the tilt with a 3-8 record.
The Scores:
NorthPort 122 – Bolick 22, Malonzo 21, Taha 18, Onwubere 13, Rike 12, Ferrer 7, Doliguez 7, Balanza 6, Subido 5, Elorde 5, Grey 4, Faundo 2, Lanete 0.
Alaska 94 – Teng 18, Tratter 13, Digregorio 13, Adamos 10, Casio 9, Banal 7, Brondial 5, Browne 5, Stockton 4, Marcelino 4, Ilagan 3, Ebona 3, Publico 0.
Quarterscores: 28-20, 61-43, 94-78, 122-94.
