TERRAFIRMA caught the last bus to the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals after beating Northport in tightly-fought playoff, 104-96, on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Dyip proved steadier in the homestretch behind the big guns of Javi Gomez De Liano, Juami Tiongson, and top rookie Stephen Holt to reach the playoffs for only the first time since the 2016 Governors’ Cup.
But by now, the celebration should have simmered down for the team as it faces an even bigger task in the next round when it battles No. 1 seed San Miguel, which owns a twice-to-beat advantage.
Here are some takeaways from the lone game to end the All-Filipino Cup eliminations
1) Terrafirma has the materials to compete with the core of Tiongson, Holt, Gomez De Liano, Isaac Go, and veteran Aldrech Ramos. Off the bench, there are the likes of Andreas Cahilig, Gelo Alolino, JP Calvo, and the bruising rookies Louie Sangalang, and Kemark Carino. The Dyip matched up well with the Batang Pier’s young and athletic roster and have now actually beaten the same team twice in the all-Filipino Conference. Whatever happens in its quarterfinal duel with San Miguel, there’s no major reason for Terrafirma to break up its core, which given some more seasoning, should consistently contend for the playoffs in the seasons to come.
2) Gomez De Liano has finally found his place at Terrafirma, emerging as one of the team’s reliable players this season. The 25-year-old forward had a rough start to his PBA career when he was traded to the Dyip just days after being taken by Barangay Ginebra in the first round (No. 8 overall) of the 2022 draft in exchange for No. 2 overall pick Jeremiah Gray. But the true pro that he is, the University of the Philippines product worked on his game, earned the trust of coach Johnedel Cardel, and in no time, became a fixture in the Dyip rotation right in his rookie season. In his sophomore year, Gomez De Liano has distinguished himself as one of the league’s rising stars averaging 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, and is bound for the playoffs for the first time ever.
3) Northport has some deep soul-searching to do following a sad end to what was once a promising campaign. Counting the loss to Terrafirma in sudden-death, the Batang Pier dropped six of their last seven games after being on top with their 4-1 standing before the All-Star break. Despite the misfortune, the future still looks bright for the franchise which boasts of having one of the youngest rosters in the league along with Rain or Shine and Phoenix. Arvin Tolentino, despite struggling on 4-of-13 shooting from the field, remains the centerpiece of this Northport team that also counts on young talents Joshua Munzon, William Navarro, Allyn Bulanadi, Paul Zamar, and the rookie quintet of Zav Lucero, Cade Flores, Fran Yu, John Amores, and Damie Cuntapay.
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