NORTHPORT import Kadeem Jack telegraphed a pass by Magnolia rookie playmaker Jerom Lastimosa that led to a vicious one-handed slam dunk by the Batang Pier import in the third quarter last night.
Showing they wanted it more, the top seed Batang Pier essayed a thrilling 113-110 decision over the Hotshots to bag a semis slot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Ginebra and Converge look to follow NorthPort in the Last Four when they clash with Meralco and Rain or Shine, respectively, today in Game 2 of their best-of-3 quarterfinal showdowns at the same venue.
Jack zoomed to a fastbreak attack and soared for the slam of the Magnolia duo of Calvin Abueva and Zavier Lucero for a 66-62 lead at the 6:42 mark of the third canto.
The hulking 6-foot-9 Jack let out a big roar in the face of Abueva that typified the Batang Pier’s resiliency after charging back from a 14-point deficit.
NorthPort assistant coach Rensy Bajar, who spoke instead of coach Bonnie Tan, said they challenged their charges to rise to the occasion—and they did from the second half until the end.
“Every practice namin china-challlenge ni coach Bonnie especially the second group because going in the playoffs, Arvin (Tolentino), Josh (Munzon), even Kadeem, pinaghahandaan na iyan ng kalaban na team, that’s why we need everybody to be involved, not only in the defense but also in the offense,” Bajar said. “In the first half, siguro masyado kaming tight. At the same time, gusto agad naming manalo in the first quarter pa lang that’s why siyempre, pinaghandaan din nila iyan, ang ganda din ng depensa ng Magnolia.
“No. 1 defensive team sila for this conference. So, aware naman kami doon that’s why in the second half, we adjusted and at the same time, kung ano iyong ibinigay ng Magnolia sa amin noong first half, iyon din iyong ibinigay namin sa kanila in the second half which were hustle, energy, at the same time iyong pressure defense din namin going to the second half, kaya nakahabol kami on the third quarter,” he added.
Jack paired 30 points with 10 rebounds, on top of three assists for the Batang Pier while Tolentino chimed in 25 markers, four boards, and four dimes.
The likes of William Navarro, Evan Nelle, Allyn Bulanadi, and Cade Flores also did their part with 15, 12, 12, and 10 points, respectively, as NorthPort advanced to the semis for the first time since 2019 and will take on the winner of the Kings-Bolts series in a best-of-7 duel.
The Batang Pier trailed 47-61 at the half but regained their bearings and grabbed an 83-76 edge going into the final 12 minutes.
Nelle’s three free throws pushed NorthPort’s lead to as much as 101-87 with 5:29 to go before the Batang Pier fended off repeated fightback bids by the Hotshots led by Paul Lee and reinforcement Ricardo Ratliffe in the endgame.
Mark Barroca paced Magnolia with 26 points, four caroms, and 10 feeds while Ratliffe and Lee got 22 markers each.
Lucero also had 13 points for the Hotshots who will ponder anew what went wrong in another failed campaign.
For NorthPort, an import who is a perfect fit, and with Tolentino having arguably his best conference, a Big Dance stint is not far-fetched.
