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The North Port Batang Pier bench reacts to the PBA Governors Cup game. –PBA Photo
MANILA, Philippines — Boosted by the introduction of new players, North Port looked like a completely different team on Friday, defeating Terrafirma 112-93 to win the 2024 PBA Governors Cup for the first time.
William Navarro delivered the best scoring performance of his young career, scoring 31 points, to go along with five rebounds, two assists and two steals, to help the Batang Piers bounce back from their first league loss against TNT earlier in the week.
“We have to play as a team. We just have to pass the ball. We can’t play one-on-one or two-man games early on,” head coach Bonnie Tan said shortly after the win at the Smart Araneta Stadium in Cubao, Quezon City.
Schedule: 2024 PBA Governors Cup Knockout Series
“Our guys played really well. We asked the second unit to perform well and be consistent. With Will leading the way, we saw that if they followed the game plan, we could get through it,” he added.
Replacing Navarro was returning reinforcement Venky Joyce, who finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Joshua Monzon scored 14 points, while centerpiece player Alvin Tolentino was on pace for a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
William Navarro at the North Port Batang Pier. –PBA IMAGES
“I was confident. I knew my shot was going in. It wasn’t a surprise to me. Obviously when I play more — and my coaches give me that opportunity — I’m going to excel. That’s the thing: I just need to play more,” said Navarro, whose strong performance helped North Port to a 1-1 record in a Group A tournament filled with imports.
read: College champions, these rookies could turn around NorthPort’s fortunes
Mr Chan said Joyce replaced Taylor Johns, who was really just a stopgap for Joyce as he continued to fulfil personal commitments.
Juami Tiongson scored 19 points and Stanley Pringle added 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Dyip. Newcomer Antonio Hester, who played for Magnolia, had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Christian Standhardinger still wasn’t as good as usual, finishing with just 10 points and eight rebounds.
As a result, Terrafirma fell to 0-2 in the league.
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NorthPort will next face Converge, while Dyip will try to avoid getting into a bigger hole in its next matchup against Meralco.
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