By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Renzo Subido showed flashes of his collegiate self after coming up big down the crucial stretch of the fourth quarter to help Northport clinch its first PBA bubble win against Terrafirma Dyip, 107-96.
It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the game not until it reached the five-minute mark of the final frame.
Northport held to a one-possession lead, 89-86, but when Subido came in for Nico Elorde, coach Pido Jarencio got what he needed from the young rookie after providing the much-needed offense to pull-away from CJ Perez and Terrafirma.
Subido converted on back-to-back shots from downtown to cap-off a 12-4 scoring run and help Northport have a comfortable lead, 101-90 with 2:11 left in the ball game.
Veteran big man Kelly Nabong then put on the icing after knocking down late treys to further widen the margin and make it hard for Terrafirma to attempt a comeback.
Subido scored all of his 12 points in the crucial four-minute stretch while Nabong scored 18 points in the game.
Northport’s main man, Christian Standhardinger, contributed 23 points to make up for the absence of injured swingman Sean Anthony.
“Yung mga bata gusto na talagang manalo. Ayaw na nilang mag 0-5. Maraming nag step up like Kelly Nabong, Renz Subido, Maganda yun. This is a breakout game for us,” said Northport head coach Jarencio.
