MANILA – NorthPort Batang Pier head coach Pido Jarencio made sure not to commit the same mistake again as they mauled Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 91-88, in Sunday’s 2021 Philippine Basketball Association’s Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Facing the same situation as in the final 2.6 seconds of their 90-89 loss to Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots last Friday, Jarencio, this time, opted to keep 7-foot center Gregory Slaughter on the court.
Protecting a 91-88 lead with two seconds left in the overtime, Slaughter disrupted the Painters’ inbound before blocking a potential game-tying triple of Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood to secure the win for the Batang Pier.
Slaughter ended with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks, while Robert Bolick Jr. scored 24 points to help the Batang Pier snap a two-game losing streak and move closer to a quarterfinals berth.
“A lot of frustration any time you lose a game. But that just makes us hungrier for the next one. We’re trusting each other, we’re trusting coach Pido, we just pull it together and move on to the next one,” said Slaughter.
Jarencio has become the talk of the town over the last few days after his erroneous choice to replace Slaughter in the final minutes of their loss to the Hotshots was seen by many as his squad allowing Magnolia to win on purpose.
“I’ve coached for 12 years, never akong na-involved sa kung anumang anomalya,” Jarencio said in a post-match interview. “I’m so apologetic to Greg and the rest of the team. We patched up things.”
In the second game, Paul Lee drilled conference-high 32 points as the Hotshots walloped sister team San Miguel Beermen, 100-90, to finish the eliminations with an 8-3 win-loss record./PN
