IN victory or defeat, Arvin Tolentino continues to be a workhorse for Northport in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
In a one-week stretch that saw the Batang Pier play three games, Tolentino consistently delivered for the team, including a 115-101 upset of San Miguel Beer, a win Northport fashioned out in the absence of import Venky Jois.
As Jois sat out the match with a hamstring injury, Tolentino, 28, rose to the occasion by firing 28 points and five rebounds while going 3-of-6 from beyond the arc to fill in the void left by their import.
The performance was a fitting follow up to his 18-point, three-rebound effort in a 111-95 win over Converge the previous game in another off-the-bench role.
As a result, Tolentino was named the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week for Dec. 6-10 where he averaged 23.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals.
He became the first player to clinch the weekly honor handed out by the men and women covering the PBA beat twice in the young season. Tolentino was also the Player of the Week from Nov. 8-12.
Tolentino was tightly challenged for the award by Phoenix rookie Ken Tuffin, who also got his share of the votes in the most hotly-contested selection process so far this conference.
Tuffin sparked a Phoenix third quarter comeback where he scored 13 of his 18 points to hold off reigning champion Barangay Ginebra, 82-77, in an out-of-town game in San Jose, Batangas.
The heroics of Tolentino and Tuffin propelled their respective teams within the Top 5 in the standings, where the Top 4 after the eliminations get to enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
The Batang Pier failed to complete a sweep of their schedule for the week, bowing to Meralco, 125-99, in which Tolentino still finished with an all-around number of 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
