NorthPort Batang Pier bench reacts to a play during the PBA Governors’ Cup. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–With a new import in tow, NorthPort on Friday looked like an entirely different squad, whipping Terrafirma, 112-93, for its maiden win in the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup.
William Navarro delivered the finest scoring performance of his young career, putting up 31 points to go with five rebounds, a pair of assists and two steals, helping the Batang Pier recover from a conference-opening loss to TNT earlier this week.
“We just had to play as a team. We just needed to distribute the ball. We couldn’t afford playing one-on-one or two-man games early,” head coach Bonnie Tan said shortly after the triumph at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
SCHEDULE: 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup elimination round
“Our players simply played well. We challenged our second group to deliver and be consistent. Headed by Will, we saw that if they followed the game plan, we could pull through,” he added.
Backstopping Navarro was returning reinforcement Venky Jois, who had 16 points and 15 rebounds. Joshua Munzon added 14 points while cornerstone Arvin Tolentino flirted with a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Northport Batang Pier’s William Navarro. –PBA IMAGES
“I’m just confident. I know my shots are gonna go in. It’s not surprising for me. Obviously when I play more—which my coach gave me the opportunity—I’m gonna deliver. That’s the thing: I just have to be on the court more,” said Navarro, whose big night helped NorthPort to a 1-1 record in Group A of the import-laden showcase.
READ: College champs, these rookies could turn NorthPort fortunes around
Jois replaced Taylor Johns, who was actually just a stop-gap measure for the former as he continued to fulfill personal commitments, according to Tan.
Juami Tiongson had 19 points, while Stanley Pringle added 17 spiked with 10 rebounds for the Dyip. New import Antonio Hester, who once played for Magnolia, had 13 and 11 as Christian Standhardinger continued to play far from his usual numbers, finishing with only 10 points and eight rebounds.
Terrafirma thus dropped to 0-2 in the conference.
NorthPort next battles Converge, while the Dyip try to avoid sliding into a bigger hole when it takes on Meralco in its next duel.