GAMES TOMORROW
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. – Phoenix vs. Blackwater
7:30 p.m. – TNT vs. Magnolia
NORTHPORT big man Cade Flores found himself all alone in the shaded lane at crunch time, raised both hands, and got a pass from teammate Fran Yu against NLEX last night.
Bolstered by a fiery third-quarter assault, the Batang Pier tripped the Road Warriors 113-108 for only their second win in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The bull-strong Flores converted on an uncontested layup that made it 110-105 for NorthPort with 44.0 seconds left, punching the air after the basket in jubilation before the Batang Pier held off NLEX’s repeated late-game comeback tries.
Assistant tactician Rensy Bajar said the team’s brain trust led by coach Bonnie Tan reminded their charges to show some fight and pride despite being long ousted in the season-ending tourney.
“Laging nire-remind sa kanila ng coaching staff, especially ni coach Bonnie is to play hard every game kasi actually we practice hard, ipinapakita namin sa ensayo na gusto naming manalo,” Bajar, who spoke in lieu of Tan, said. “Every practice we’re complete. Kumbaga kung sino iyong players na mayroon kami, kung sino iyong inilalaban namin this conference.
“But still, we’re falling short of winning in our past games but this time nakita namin sa players iyong willingness to win. Iyon lang naman ang gusto ni coach Bonnie. Kung sino iyong mga player na mayroon kami, lumaban para manalo,” he added.
The Batang Pier did just that, bannered by Flores, who notched game-highs of 26 points and 15 rebounds, to go with two assists while Yu chimed in 21 markers, two boards, and five dimes.
Calvin Abueva also had 19 points and eight caroms as NorthPort halted an eight-game losing streak, counting a 107-118 defeat to Phoenix last week for a 2-8 slate.
The Road Warriors, already assured of a top-four finish and a twice-to-beat advantage at the end of the 11-game eliminations, came off a 107-99 triumph over the Magnolia Hotshots also last week and ended the elims with an 8-3 card.
The Batang Pier trailed 46-54 at the half but charged back behind the duo of Flores and Yu and grabbed an 86-76 lead entering the final quarter.
Robbie Herndon’s three free throws shoved NLEX to within 108-110 but Yu’s driving bucket pegged a 112-108 count, only 2 ticks to go.
Herndon scored 21 points and six rebounds for the Road Warriors while Robert Bolick and Brandon Ramirez combined for 32.
Kevin Alas, Jonnel Policarpio, JB Bahio, and Xyrus Torres also got 12, 12, 11, and 11 markers, respectively, for NLEX.
The loss should serve as a wake-up call for the Road Warriors if and when they want to go deep into the playoffs.
