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SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – Stanley Pringle incurred two offensive fouls just five minutes after Barangay Geneva’s Game 1 encounter with Meralco in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Wednesday night.
That, of course, worried head coach Tim Cone.
“I was a little scared when Stanley made two quick fouls in the first quarter. I thought it would mean a bad night for usSaid the decorated mentor, who quickly pulled Pringle out at the 7:40 mark of the first quarter.
The score was still at 4 when Pringle was substituted. But luckily for the Gin Kings, Aljon Mariano, who came in his place, LA Tenorio, Scottie Thompson, Prince Caperal and Arvin Tolentino continued the fight.
Then the Fil-Am guard checked in with 1:23 remaining in the period in place of Tenorio. And in the second frame, he made sure to avoid fouling and did what he does best: provide on offense.
Pringle scored nine in the fourth, including a 3-pointer that extended his lead to five to get closer to the middle mark. And moments later, Geneva began to pull away, unloading an 11-2 streak to end the half with a 48-36 lead.
“Our guys were able to hold the fort until he was ready to come back at the end of the first quarter, and we did a little running before halftime. And that gave us a bit of protection for the third quarter.“Cone said.
Pringle finally finished with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting plus seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Barangay posted a 96-79 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the race. business of three.
However, it wasn’t just him who provided the offense, as a total of six players scored in double figures in the victory. Thompson and Tolentino had 13 each; Mariano and Tenorio had 11 each and Caperal 10.
“For me, it was a great team game,Cone said. “Stanley played very well, he deserved the Player of the Game, but there were many contributions out there. We did much better offensively than I thought we would do against his defense. “
Pringle, who has been Geneva’s leading scorer before the playoffs at 18.7 points per game, was simply happy to have made Game One, emphasizing its importance given the length of the series.
“Definitely a great meaning because Game One is crucial in a best-of-five series, as opposed to a [best-of-seven] where you have more games “ said the six-year-old pro, who came to Barangay last season.
“The work is not complete. The second game is coming. “
