Momentum for Cinderella team

Things are looking up for NorthPort in the PBA. Last season, the Batang Pier compiled a win-loss record of 22-20, the team’s best ever since joining the league in 2012-13. In six previous seasons, NorthPort never broke .500 and never won more than 17 games.

NorthPort governor Erick Arejola said it was a banner year and the performance in the Governors Cup was one for the books. It was in the third conference where in the quarterfinals, No. 8 NorthPort overcame a twice-to-win disadvantage to upset No. 1 NLEX. The clincher over the Road Warriors was NorthPort’s 126-123 triple overtime win that ended coach Yeng Guiao’s season with 1.5 million viewers following the action on livestream. After ousting NLEX, NorthPort advanced to the semifinals where the Batang Pier bowed to eventual champion Barangay Ginebra, 3-1. Before NorthPort lost three in a row to Ginebra in the playoffs, the team had won five straight.

The win over NLEX caught fans by surprise. Team owner Rep. Mikee Romero watched the game on TV and thought NLEX had it wrapped up in the second overtime. He turned off the TV only to be texted a few minutes later to switch it back on for the third extension. “We weren’t surprised we beat NLEX,” said Arejola. “We matched up well against them. We beat NLEX in three of three games in the Governors Cup. Imagine, Nico Elorde defended the Best Man at his wedding, Kiefer Ravena.”

NorthPort made inroads in the Governors Cup with Jonathan Grey out of commission and starter Robert Bolick sitting out the last 10 games. They’ll both be back in harness for the second conference. Christian Standhardinger’s arrival six games into the Governors Cup set NorthPort on the winning track. His performance clinched the Best Player of the Conference award for the Fil-German.

“We’ve received trade offers for Christian,” admitted Arejola. “We’re not thinking of trading Christian. We’re coming off our best season ever and we’d like to run the momentum into the next conference. I’ve always told the guys to be successful in the PBA, we’ve got to take care of business, meaning let’s defeat the teams we should be able to beat and if we beat the higher-ranked teams, it’ll be a bonus. In the third conference, we lost to Columbian, Blackwater and Phoenix in the eliminations. Luckily, we managed to beat teams that were ranked higher than us.”

Arejola said coach Pido Jarencio’s staff is intact and it’s a reason why NorthPort made it to the semifinals of the recent Governors Cup.  Jarencio’s assistants are Rensy Bajar and Jeff Napa so it’s a lean and mean core. Team manager Bonnie Tan provides another key piece in the chemistry.

In the offseason, NorthPort brought in newly-married L. A. Revilla, the comebacking Kelly Nabong and rookies Renzo Subido and Sean Manganti. Lost in the shuffle was Rey Guevarra. “We’ve never made it to the finals,” said Arejola. “We’ve gone to two semifinals. But we’ll be ready this year. We’ll be competitive. Sean (Manganti) is coming along fine. He’s working with our other Sean (Anthony) because they’ll sub for each other. I think we’ve shown what we’re capable of doing. The challenge is to maintain our winning ways.”