Addressing their fourth-quarter woes, the NorthPort Batang Pier ended the TNT KaTropa’s five-game winning streak, 109-83, in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Northport seized control in the second quarter, erecting a 53-26 lead and never letting up the rest of the way. The Batang Pier led by as many as 30, 102-72, with 5:19 left to play to end their six-game losing skid.
“Yung mga talo naman namin nung last five or six games puro breaks of the game… Ngayon naman parang perfect game, first half hanggang second half we finished strong,” lauded Batang Pier head coach Pido Jarencio.
NorthPort improved to 3-6 to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive. Their win is also beneficial for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, helping them seal the second seed and the twice-to-beat advantage for the playoffs.
“Hahabulin namin yung playoffs. Tiya-tiyagain namin yun,” Jarencio said.
Stanley Pringle led the Batang Pier with 27 points, and nine rebounds. Sean Anthony had 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, Paolo Taha and Mo Tautuaa – who had a bad fall late in the game – had 13 each.
Lervin Flores had 11 points. Robert Bolick had an all-around game of 12 boards, eight points, and seven dimes.
Don Trollano had 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Texters. Jay Washington and Roger Pogoy chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively.
TNT dropped to 7-4 and are relegated to a best-of-three series for the quarters.
NorthPort will look to win another versus Alaska Aces on Wednesday, March 27, still at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
NorthPort 109 – Pringle 27, Anthony 14, Tautuaa 13, Taha 13, Flores 11, Grey 9, Bolick 8, Elorde 8, Lanete 6, Guinto 0, Sollano 0.
TNT 83 – Trollano 15, Washington 13, Pogoy 10, Cruz 7, Reyes 7, Castro 7, Rosario 6, Miranda 6, Taha 5, Williams 4, Golla 2, Semerad 1, Heruela 0, Carey 0, Casino 0.
Quarterscores: 22-16, 53-31, 82-61, 109-83.
