Warriors waylay undermanned PH Patriots
THE INDONESIA Warriors simply had too much firepower for AirAsia Philippines last night and scored a 104-79 rout of the undermanned Patriots in a highly physical Asean Basketball League encounter presented by PG Flex at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.
Imports McArthur Brock and Steven Thomas churned out double-doubles and Fil-American Stanley Pringle fired 22 points in his second game for Indonesia to form a three-cornered blade for the Warriors, who dealt the Patriots a second straight defeat in a 13-4 card.
“Chemistry-wise, he’s going to fit in nicely,” said Warriors coach John Todd Purves of the 6-foot-1 Pringle.
The Warriors’ win was a breakthrough of sorts since no Indonesian ballclub has ever beaten a Filipino team on local soil before.
“We knew that they were at a disadvantage, having just one import the entire game but I’m proud of our effort,” said Purves.
Anthony Johnson led the Patriots with 32 points and Aldrech Ramos had 14. But the absence of a second import in the AirAsia lineup doomed the squad as it had no one who could match up with the Warriors’ big reinforcements.
Brock tallied 23 points that went with 12 boards, while Thomas had 18 and 13 for the Warriors, who rose to a 9-9 card.
Nakiea Miller, a replacement for Chris Alexander, wasn’t allowed by organizers to suit up last night and will instead play in the Patriots’ next game.
The Scores:
INDONESIA WARRIORS 104—Brock 23, Pringle 22, Thomas 18, Salangsang 13, Canada 10, Wuysang 10, Prihantono 8, Wibawa 0, Ristanto 0, Gunawan 0.
PHILIPPINE PATRIOTS 79—Johnson 32, Ramos 14, Laure 8, Raymundo 6, Wainwright 5, Adriano 4, Fernandez 4, Larong 2, Vergara 2, Ybanez 2, Saldua 0, Rodriguez 0.
Quarters: 25-20, 49-36, 69-64, 104-79
