What was once a dream season for Arvin Tolentino and the NorthPort Batang Pier is starting to look like a nightmare. 

The Batang Pier had arguably their best conference campaign since they took over the Powerade Tigers’ franchise back in 2012, finishing the preliminary round of the 2024-2025 Honda PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a 9-3 record even with a guest team in the Hong Kong Eastern. 

Tolentino was at the forefront of that run, leading all his local NorthPort teammates in scoring with 23.0 points per game while putting up solid defensive numbers (1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game). 

However, Tolentino and the Batang Pier ran into a brick wall in the form of the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, who raced to a 3-0 lead in the 2024-2025 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. NorthPort seemed to have no answers and it was looking like a banger of a campaign was going to end with a whimper. 

Thankfully, Tolentino had the perfect response in Game 4. 

Tolentino had a near triple-double (20 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, and a block), but it also pointed to how he pulled out all the stops to ensure the Batang Pier extend their season by a few days. It was an all-out effort that the rest of NorthPort followed suit with, as all but one Batang Pier starter played around 40 minutes of game time. 

It’ll take another herculean effort from NorthPort to complete a Beeracle of their own and it all starts with Tolentino. The Batang Pier will get a lot of production from import Kadeem Jack, but Tolentino at his best is a matchup nightmare. 

He’s taller than most of the defenders that the Gin Kings can throw at him and the 29-year old is not a target on defense. Tolentino, though, has to make better decisions with his shot selection. In NorthPort’s three losses in the Commissioner’s Cup, Tolentino attempted 19 3-pointers and knocked down only four of them. The subpar outside shooting had spillover effects to the Batang Pier’s offense, which at times looked lethargic.

However, Game 4 saw Tolentino convert on two of his five 3-point attempts, with his scoring inside also helping open things up for him and the rest of NorthPort. In the end, it’s not about eliminating 3-pointers from his shot diet, but focusing on mismatches inside before expanding his game to beyond the 3-point line. 

Arvin Tolentino and the NorthPort Batang Pier are praying for a miracle but they’ll have to put the work in to ultimately achieve their aspirations. As loaded as the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings are, the Batang Pier can count themselves as a talented bunch and if they play smart and take things game-by-game, we could see some new blood in the 024-2025 Honda PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.