There was some worry in the side of NorthPort Batang Pier when both their stars Sean Anthony and Stanley Pringle were hurt during their match against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Wednesday night.
Anthony hurt his groin after lunging for the ball; meanwhile, Pringle tweaked his ankle.
Compounding Northport’s anxiety is that Wednesday’s game was a must-win for them. A win would guarantee them a spot in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals, avoiding a fight for the last ticket.
But even if things were getting tough, Stanley Pringle didn’t flinch. He was confident because of Robert Bolick.
“You know, Sean had pulled his [groin], I think. I think I tweaked my ankle. So we were looking for him to you know, to step up, and the whole game he was being aggressive. So I felt good about the situation,” Pringle said.
And Bolick didn’t let Pringle and the whole Batang Pier down.
NorthPort had coughed up a seven-point lead, as Ginebra made a 12-3 run and took a 97-95 lead with 1:09 remaining. But Bolick then drained a trey from the wing to regain the upper hand, 98-97, with 52.9 ticks left.
NorthPort would go on to win, 100-97, and that’s largely thanks to Bolick.
“Oh, man, he’s a humble player. Today he put us on his shoulders and carried us,” lauded Pringle of Bolick, who finished with 24 points – his best outing since dropping 26 in his debut last January – with five assists and three rebounds.
“So it’s great, man, for him to step up.”
Thanks to the San Beda rookie’s heroics, the Batang Pier are now headed for the quarters as the seventh seed. They will be facing the second-seeded Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who are armed with a win-once edge.
Pringle still remembers the bitter taste of the 100-107 loss they suffered from Rain or Shine during their elimination round clash last February 8. Now that they have a chance to get back at them, Pringle calls for all of the Batang Pier to fight.
“That game that they beat us, you know, I think we played well in the first three quarters and they got big-time players. [James] Yap stepped up big in that fourth quarter and brought the team back,” recalled Pringle.
“It’s gonna be a full team effort against Rain or Shine. It’s not gonna be just, hey, Stanley, go take over. Or Sean, do what you do. Or Mo [Tautuaa]. It’s gonna be Bolick, he’s gonna step up. Nico [Elorde], he’s gonna step up. Jonathan [Grey], Brad [Guinto],” added the five-year league veteran out of Penn State.
“We’re gonna need everybody to step up. It’s gonna be a team win if we win, you know. It’s not gonna be one or two, three players, or big three, or whatever they be saying – it’s gonna be the whole team.”
