ANTIPOLO, Rizal—Who needs an import when you’ve already got a player like Stanley Pringle?
GlobalPort Batang Pier seemed like they didn’t when Pringle displayed all around brilliance to lead his team past TNT KaTropa, 119-112, last Friday night, September 1, in a 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup game at the Ynares Center Antipolo.
Pringle was unstoppable, especially in the second half, as the Batang Pier gave the Tropang Texters a dose of their own run-and-gun, fastbreak all game long medicine.
Sean Anthony and Mike Cortez backed up Pringle as they scored the crucial points late in the game. The pair carried the fight at crunch time as they combined for 17 points in the fourth.
Anthony finished with 21 points while Cortez chipped in 11 markers as they pushed the Batang Pier beyond recall setting their biggest lead of 15 points at 109-94 with less than five minutes left to play.
GlobalPort improved its record to three wins and three losses. TNT (4 wins, 3 losses) slid to seventh place in the standings.
The Meralco Bolts (5-1) and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (5-1) are tied at the top of the standings. The Star Hotshots (4-1) and the NLEX Road Warriors (6-2) trail closely.
The other teams include the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (4-2), the San Miguel Beermen (3-2), the Blackwater Elite (4-4), the Phoenix Fuelmasters (2-7), the Alaska Aces (0-6) and Kia Picanto (0-8).
Pringle shot 10 of 16 from the field—on three of five from three-point distance—grabbed eight rebounds, issued four assists and had two steals in a brilliant all-around game as he overshadowed even their hard-working import Murphey Halloway.
Holloway didn’t do too badly either. He scored 24 points and added 17 rebounds. Terrence Romeo had a terrible shooting night as he converted just five of 14 attempts from the field to finish with 13 points.
GlobalPort coach Franz Pumaren said the victory boosted the morale of his players. He said the Batang Pier ran all game long to exploit TNT’s disadvantage of having played a game just two days before. He said the Tropang Texters were tired both physically and mentally.
The Tropang Texters didn’t look tired early in the game as they posted a 33-23 advantage near the start of the second period. But fatigue eventually caught up with them.
GlobalPort detonated a 39-23 bomb to grab the initiative and go to the locker rooms protecting a 62-56 advantage at halftime.
The Batang Pier kept its foot on the gas pedal as it continued to run roughshod over the tired KaTropa. They even led by as much as 15 points, 109-94, before relaxing and allowing the KaTropa to trim their losing margin.