Northport exhibited poise beyond its youth, securing a 124-120 victory against Phoenix in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
This marks the Batang Pier’s second consecutive win, having also triumphed over the Converge FiberXers five days ago with a score of 112-104, bringing their record to 2-1 and tying them with the NLEX Road Warriors for the third and fourth spots.
It was a character-defining win for Bonnie Tan’s Northport, leading by as much as 14 points in the contest before executing a great escape.
“As I told my players, it’s not about how you start the game but how you finish it,” said Tan, a three-time NCAA champion coach. “Again, the second unit is crucial for a young team like ours. We are still searching for our identity,” he added.
Phoenix, making its conference debut, leveled the game at 113-all with 3:17 left in the contest.
Rookies Fran Yu and Zavier Lucero attempted to restore order, scoring on free throws and a breakaway layup, respectively, but the Fuel Masters persisted.
With 10.3 seconds remaining, Northport efficiently wasted precious time, burning six seconds from the clock.
A split on the stripe by Lucero sealed the deal for the Batang Pier.
“Safe inbound only. No errors,” said Tan.
Cade Flores secured his third double-double, leading the way for Northport with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and 12 rebounds.
Lucero contributed 18 points and two blocks, while Joshua Munzon finished with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
“We are happy that Zavier delivered off the bench,” said Tan, as Lucero missed their previous game due to jetlag.
Arvin Tolentino added 15 points and nine boards, while Yu scored seven of his 13 points in the final frame.
Veteran Jeff Chan also shone for Northport, scoring 17 points with three treys.
William Navarro missed the game due to rest as he played long minutes in their first two games of the conference.
Northport aims for a hattrick on Sunday when they face Meralco at 3:00 p.m., still at the same venue.
A scary moment occurred with 5:03 left in the game when Joshua Munzon went for a drive, and Tyler Tio, boxing out, crashed down, nursing his left ankle.
The former Ateneo guard did not return to the game, concluding with 19 points.
Perkins led Phoenix with 28 points and seven rebounds.
Phoenix will seek a bounce back on Sunday against Ginebra.
The Scores:
Northport 124 – Flores 21, Lucero 18, Munzon 17, Tolentino 15, Yu 13, Zazmar 11, Bulanadi 6, Calma 2, Rosales 2, Paraiso 2,8Adamos 0, Amores 0, Cuntapay 0
Phoenix 120 – Perkins 24, Tio 19, Jazul 15, Rivero 13, Tuffin 11, Manganti 9, Mocon 8, Soyud 4, Daves 4, Alejandro 3, Muyang 2, Garcia 2, Camacho 2, Lalata 0, Verano 0
Quarterscores: 35-25, 61-52, 90-80, 124-120
