Even after zooming to a 6-1 start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, questions still remained about the NorthPort Batang Pier.
Could they get to that next level? Could they beat the top teams?
It was as if their victories over the TNT Tropang Giga, Converge FiberXers, and Hong Kong Eastern didn’t count.
Then, on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena, the Batang Pier outlasted Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 119-116 after a wild endgame. But, for a while, it looked like NorthPort was shrinking from the red-hot glare of the spotlight. It had surrendered the 18-point lead it had built in the third quarter on the back of some deadly outside sniping and seemed on the verge of losing a heartbreaker.
Yet they hung on. Will Navarro clustered a personal 5-0 run to give the lead back to NorthPort. Arvin Tolentino hit a huge three. Joshua Munzon hit a big triple. Import Kadeem Jack chipped in.
And now the Batang Pier are 7-1, with as big of a chance to net one of the top two seeds.
A Statement Win for NorthPort
Put simply, this win over Ginebra was huge for a young team like NorthPort—the kind of win that could propel the Batang Pier from good to next level.
“This game is a statement game for us,” Tan pointed out after the game against Ginebra. “Everyone was questioning about ‘yung status ng team na hindi kami nananalo sa mga big teams. I hope na with this win, we proved na we’re here to win games. We’re here to be competitive. Hindi ‘yung basta-basta na team lang.”
NorthPort will look to keep its winning ways going, but the schedule is about to get tougher, with dates against the Meralco Bolts (January 14), Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (January 16), and San Miguel Beermen (January 21) up next.
Tan isn’t fazed—not with his Batang Pier building a winning mindset.
“Again, this game was a statement game for the team,” he maintained. “If we can beat a big team, I’m sure we can bring this momentum and confidence playing against the top teams. This game is a big win. For sure we’ll bring this momentum na kaya naming tumalo ng mga big teams.”
These next three games could be a chance for the Batang Pier to silence more doubters then.
