NorthPort crushes Terrafirma to remain undefeated in PBA Cup

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The NorthPort Batang Pier earned another convincing victory and notched their second win in a row against the Terrafirma Dyip, 100-86, in the ongoing 2022 PBA Philippine Cup.

Fresh off their opening campaign win against the veteran-filled Rain or Shine Elastopainters, the Batang Pier continued to roll and had another stellar shooting night against the Dyip.

The fantastic duo of Robert Bolick and Jamie Malonzo once again powered NorthPort in their win and just ran through Terrafirma’s defense every time they caught the leather.

Bolick led the NorthPort assault with a near triple-double of 26 points, 10 assists, and eight assists while Malonzo contributed a double-double performance of 19 points and 16 rebounds.

Despite missing key pieces in Troy Rike and Greg Slaughter, the NorthPort squad capitalized on their speed and efficient shooting and just outplayed Terrafirma in the game.

It was Terrafirma who struck first after Joshua Munzon’s stellar first half that willed his team to battle despite successive injuries that hit them during the game.

Isaac Go, Eric Camson, and Ed Daquioag all suffered respective injuries and never got back in the game that hampered them in the second half.

With Terrafirma’s interior players banged up, NorthPort’s head coach Pido Jarencio’s game plan shifted from kicking out to their open shooters to penetrating the shaded lane at will which Malonzo and Bolick executed to perfection.

From being up by just a point heading into the second half, NorthPort’s blazing offense helped their lead balloon to as much as 17 points after Bolick’s exclamation side-step three-pointer that sealed the deal for their second win.

JM Calma, NorthPort’s lottery pick during the recently concluded draft, played efficiently in the win and chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds.

Kevin Ferrer also played a solid role knocking down open three-pointers and sank five triples to end up with 15 points and a rebound.

NorthPort’s convincing win put them at the top of the PBA PHL Cup leaders along with the San Miguel Beermen who both have a 2-0 record.

Meanwhile, Terrafirma is yet to grab a win in the conference after suffering a heartbreaking loss against the NLEX Road Warriors in their first game and another crucial defeat at the hands of the Batang Pier.