In the first PBA Commissioner's Cup overtime game, ROBERT Bolick played like a man possessed as NorthPort pulled off an incredible comeback victory over Meralco.
The fourth-year guard upset the Bolts, 101-95, for the Batang Pier's second victory in three games, scoring a new career-high 44 points on 16-of-31 shooting from the field. He willed the Batang Pier back from a 20-point deficit.
Bolick overcame cramps and exhaustion to put up a mind-boggling 22 straight points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, in an amazing performance that thrilled the Smart Araneta Coliseum audience.
His two free throws with 18.3 seconds remaining in regulation forced overtime (89-89), and the Batang Pier eventually won 94-89 after scoring five straight points to start the extra period.
"Lumaban lang talaga kami. Hindi kami nag-give up," said Bolick afterwards. "Ang sarap sa feeling."
Bolick was unanimously selected as the Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the week of September 28 to October 2 due to his spectacular performance.
The former San Beda star's scoring performance, to which he also contributed seven assists and six rebounds, was unquestionably memorable.
Since Roger Pogoy of TNT exploded for 45 points versus Alaska in the 2020 Philippine Cup at the Clark bubble, his production was the highest by a local player overall.
After Stanley Pringle scored 50 points against Columbian Dyip in the 2018 Commissioner's Cup, it was also the best point total ever recorded by a NorthPort player, domestic or foreign.
The exploit came just a week after Bolick hit a previous career-best of 33 points in a 105-104 heartbreaker against guest team Bay Area Dragons on import Myles Powell's game-winning three at the buzzer.
Bolick is the second straight NorthPort player after Arvin Tolentino to be cited for the weekly honor being handed out by the men and women regularly covering the PBA beat.
Other players in contention for the citation were Magnolia's trio of Paul Lee, Jio Jalalon, and Mark Barroca, Gian Mamuyac, Santi Santillan, and Andrei Caracut of Rain or Shine, the NLEX duo of Don Trollano and Kevin Alas as well as Barangay Ginebra's Scottie Thompson.
