Batang Pier brace for quarterfinals challenge

MANILA, Philippines -- After finishing the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations with a strong victory against the also-ran Blackwater Bossing, the NorthPort Batang Pier are ready for a potentially tough matchup in the quarterfinals.

The Batang Pier decimated NorthPort, 120-93, Saturday evening.

NorthPort ended its elimination round with a 9-3 win-loss record, giving them a strong chance of finishing in the top two teams of the conference, which also brings a twice-to-beat advantage.

But with the logjam at the seventh to 10th seeds of the standings, nothing is set in stone.

After the game, guard Joshua Munzon said that they worked hard to put themselves in “the best position we can.”

“I think all we could do today was control what we can control, and that was winning today's game and finishing strong. So, I think we gave ourselves our chance to finish top two. And overall, just kind of stamp our season,” he told reporters.

“And nine wins is a lot of wins for us, and we're hungry. We're a hungry team, a young team, and we're trying to build over here. So, we're just happy to be here and try to, like I said, take that into the playoffs,” he added.

The race for the seventh and eighth places in the conference are very difficult to predict with the conference reaching its crescendo.

Currently, Rain or Shine sits at seventh place with a 6-5 win-loss record. The NLEX Road Warriors are currently at eighth with a 5-6 slate, while the defending champions San Miguel Beermen are at ninth with a similar win-loss tally. The three have one contest left to play that will determine their quarterfinal fate.

The Magnolia Hotshots are at 10th with a 4-6 record, with still two games to play.

Assistant coach Rensy Bajar, for his part, said that they are prepared for any challenge they may face in the playoffs.

“Whatever happens, whatever the opponent that we will play in the playoffs, we're ready to play. And these players, they're ready to play, and they're ready to accept the challenge,” he told reporters in Filipino.

“So, hopefully, we can sustain this game that we're playing, and whoever we play in the playoffs, we're just ready for that game,” he added.

This was echoed by Munzon, saying that they are bracing for a tough road to glory.

“I think that's what the playoffs are for. I mean, it was never going to be easy. I think that was what the season was for us, is trying to build every game and get better every game and take that every step of the way with us to now,” he said.

“We had a lot of tests in the season, especially late in the season, those games that we dropped. But we were always going to have to play somebody tough in the playoffs. We just have to step our game up and bring it the way we've been bringing it all year.”