Still alive, Batang Pier look to finish on high note

NorthPort knows making the quarterfinals of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governor’s Cup is out of their hands, so coach Bonnie Tan has Batang Pier focus on what they can control.

“We actually went into this game not thinking about making it to the quarterfinals,” Tan said in the press room after Batang Pier’s 113-97 win that eliminated the non-imported Rain or Shine Elasto Painters from playoff contention at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. .

“Although we have a slim chance to make the quarterfinals, we just want to win the remaining games and end the conference on a high note,” Tan added after Batang Pier improved to 3-7.

Batang Pier moved a game behind the Phoenix Fuel Masters, who were ranked No.

NorthPort needs a win by Meralco to stay in the hunt for a quarterfinal spot and Batang Pier also needs to upset league leaders TNT on March 15 – a huge task, to say the least.

“If we’re going to take a long break and miss the quarterfinals, we want to have a good feeling before we go our separate ways,” Tan said.

Career high

Import Kevin Murphy posted 39 points with 10 threes, but the better performance came from role player Paul Zamar.

Zamar dropped a career-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting while adding five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. The former Eastern University guard was a minor player at San Miguel Beer from 2019 to 2022 before being sent to NorthPort before the conference began.

“I played spot-on minutes when I played for San Miguel. Sometimes, I couldn’t even see the action,” he said. “But now, I’ve played every game and I’m motivated to keep the trust that Coach Bonnie gave me and the responsibility of being the starting point guard.”

Rain or Shine got the boot with their fourth straight loss and a 2-8 record. It played its second consecutive game without reinforcements after Jordan Tolbert failed to make the 6-foot-6 height limit.

Meanwhile, the PBA Commissioner’s Office suspended Meralco’s Allein Maliksi for one game for grabbing the neck of Converge’s Barkley Ebona during the altercation that marred their encounter at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Maliksi was also fined P75,000 for the incident, and the veteran striker later apologized.

Ebona did not die for Flagrant Foul 1 in Maliksi because it appeared to be a clothesline that resulted in a fine of P7,500 while being warned that the same offense would result in a heavier penalty.

PBA Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro summoned the two players on Saturday before the sanctions were imposed.

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