Batang Pier, Tropang Giga book tickets to the semis

By Robert Andaya

Win once and you’re in the semis.

Top seed NorthPort Batang Pier and No. 2 seed TNT Tropang Giga did just that as they made short work of their respective quarterfinal opponents to advance to the next round of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The Batang Pier escaped Magnolia Chicken Timplados’ late rally, 113-110, while the Tropang Giga secured a wire-to-wire victory against guest team Hong Kong Eastern, 109-93, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate recently.

As the top two teams after the elimination round of the import-flavored conference, the Batang Pier and the Tropang Giga also became the first two teams in the semifinal round with their victories.

As usual, import Kadeem Jack,  Arvin Tolentino and Will Navarro led the charge for coach Bonnie Tan’s Batang Pier, who secured their third semifinal stint in franchise history.

Jack tallied a double-double performance of 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting,  from the floor, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and five steals in 46 action-packed minutes.

He had plenty of help from his friends.

Tolentino added 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks while Navarro contributed 15 points and seven rebounds.

Evan Nelle and Ally Bulanadi added12 points each, and Cade Flores contributed10 points and nine rebounds  in the Batang Pieer’s inspiring victory.

Mark Barroca led the losing effort of  the Hotshots of coach Chito Victolero with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 10 assists and four rebounds in almost 37 minutes of play.

Ricardo Ratliffe added 22 points, 19 rebounds and four assists while Paul Lee contributed 22 points, including 3-of-4 from the four-point territory.

Zav Lucero chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds.

“Sa first half, siguro masyado kaming tight at the same time gusto kaagad naming manalo right in the first quarter pa lang. Siyempre, pinaghandaan kami, ang ganda rin ng depensa ng Magnolia,” said NorthPort assistant coach, Rensy Bajar, in the post-game presser

“Kung ano ‘yung ibinigay sa amin ng Magnolia sa first half iyun din ‘yung ibinigay namin sa kanila sa second half, which is… hustle, energy, at the same time ‘yung pressure defense namin. Kaya nakahabol kami in that third quarter,” added Bajar.

The Batang Pier outscored the Hotshots 36-15 in the third quarter, turning a 47-61 halftime deficit into an 83-76 lead heading into the final period.

Meanwhile, five players scored in double figures for coach Chot Reyes-mentored Tropang Giga

Former NBA player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished  with 31 points on 10-of-16 clip from the floor on top of 15 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 44 minutes of play.

Rey Nambatac added 18 points and four rebounds while Jayson Castro contributed  16 points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Tropang Giga also got 15 points and seven rebounds from JP Erram and 12 points and five rebounds from Calvin Oftana.

Hayden Blankley spearheaded Eastern’s  losing performance with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes of action.

Cameron Clark added 16 points and eight rebounds in his return while Glenn Yang contributed 14 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Hong Kong-based team.

Kobey Lam chipped in with 11 points.

“Roger (Pogoy) did a good defensive job on Yang whom we feel is their heart and soul. Roger’s shooting was a bit off but he had a big contribution on his defensive effort on Yang,” said TNT coach Reyes.

Both the Batang Pier and Tropang Giga held a twice-to-beat advantage.

The scores:

First game

NorthPort (113) — Jack 30, Tolentino 25, Navarro 15, Nelle 12, Bulanadi 12, Flores 10, Munzon 5, Yu 4, Tratter 0, Taha 0.

Magnolia (110) — Barroca 26, Ratliffe 22, Lee 22, Lucero 13, Sangalang 7, Dionisio 6, Abueva 6, Lastimosa 4, Dela Rosa 4, Alfaro 0, Ahanmisi 0.

Quarterscores: 25-32, 47-61, 83-76, 113-110

Second game

TNT (109) — Hollis-Jefferson 31, Nambatac 18, Erram 15, Castro 16, Oftana 12, Pogoy 6, Williams 6, Aurin 4, Khobuntin 1.

Eastern (93) — Blankley 24, Clark 16, Yang 14, Lam 11, Chan 9, Zhu 8, Guinchard 5, Xu 4, Cao 2, Leung 0.

Quarterscores: 27-24, 51-50, 80-73, 109-93