Arvin Tolentino showed why he’s the reigning Best Player of the Conference by tallying 19 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds in NorthPort’s 97-75 win over Terrafirma at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Saturday, April 12.

Playing with the weight of expectations, Tolentino embraced the challenge of being a marked man.

“There’s an X on my back,” he said. “When a player wins an award, that comes with the territory. So I really have to improve my reads and move the ball.”

NorthPort Rolls with Balanced Team Play

The Batang Pier’s ball movement was on full display, finishing with 27 assists compared to Terrafirma’s 12.

“Maganda ball movement namin for this game,” said assistant coach Rensy Bajar. “Sana ma-capitalize namin ‘to in our next games.”

William Navarro also contributed significantly with 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Joshua Munzon, Allyn Bulanadi, and Sydney Onwubere added double-digit scoring to help maintain a commanding lead that stretched to 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Terrafirma Struggles Offensively

Terrafirma could not find any rhythm, shooting just 34.6% from the field (27-of-78) while committing 23 turnovers.

Rookie CJ Catapusan and veteran Kevin Ferrer led the Dyip with 16 and 15 points, respectively, but star Mark Sangalang struggled with 10 markers and fouled out late in the third.

NorthPort looks to carry this momentum into their next matchup against Rain or Shine on Wednesday. With improved ball sharing and solid bench contributions, the Batang Pier appear poised for a strong campaign.