FORCE lay up ni Kib Montalbo ng TNT laban kay JM Calma at Arwind Santos ng Global port sa PBA on tour sa Ynares, Antipolo City. -Kuha ni RUDY ESPERAS
Mga laro ngayon:
(Baliwag, Bulacan)
5 p.m. – NLEX vs Magnolia
SA WAKAS ay lumabas na rin at nagbunga ang klase ng laro na nais ni NorthPort coach Bonnie Tan mula sa kanyang youthful players nang pataubin ng Batang Pier ang TNT, 99-90, sa PBA On Tour nitong Biyernes sa Ynares Center sa Antipolo.
Nagdiwang si Joshua Munzon sa kanyang papel bilang starter sa unang pagkakataon sa pre-season, sa pagkamada ng 16 points habang pinangunahan ang pressure defense ng NorthPort na may tatlo sa kabuuang 11 steals ng koponan, apat dito ay nagmula sa fourth period.
“We were just trying to play harder and harder and leave it all out there. I think it showed in the second half, coming up with those steals and making them turn the ball over a lot of times,” pahayag ng dating No. 1 overall draft pick na pumasok sa laro na may average lamang na 2.5 points.
“We just stuck to the gameplan and… we came up with the win,” dagdag ni Munzon. “Just taking every opportunity and trying to get better. Every opportunity to come out here is an opportunity to get better and we just want to build on it going to the (regular season),” ani Munzon.
“We just want to build and hopefully have some momentum going into that, you know.
Build our chemistry and really get going.” Gumanap din sina MJ Ayaay, JM Calma at Fran Yu ng crucial roles sa panalo, ang una ng Batang Pier sa tatlong laro, kung saan tumulong silang lahat sa decisive 15-2 windup na bumura sa 84-88 deficit.
Sinimulan ng TNT ang kanilang pre-season sa paglalaro na wala sina main weapons Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams, Calvin Oftana, Roger Pogoy at Kelly Williams at hindi rin ginamit si prospect JV Gallego.
-CLYDE MARIANO
