OUT TO REGAIN LOST GROUND
It’s a battle for aspiration restoration as Petron Blaze and GlobalPort clash in a second faceoff in the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup elimination round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.
Game time is 8 p.m. with the Boosters out to resuscitate hopes for playoffs top seeding and the Batang Pier out to pump new life in their bid to make the Top Six.
Both teams are suddenly under pressure after running into a thick wall.
Petron Blaze, undefeated in all its first seven matches, has moved down to joint second place with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (8-3) after dropping three of its last four matches.
The Batang Pier, meanwhile, dropped all their last four assignments, thus finding themselves in a heavy four-way logjam at sixth place with Alaska, Meralco and San Mig Super Coffee at 4-7.
The Boosters have to start winning again if they’re to contend for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a full game in front at 9-2 while Talk n Text is breathing down Petron’s neck at 7-4.
The Boosters bungled a shot at regaining a share of the lead in an 88-92 upset by Barako Bull Wednesday. Its previous losses came at the hands of Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra.
Versus the Energy, the Boosters ran out of gas and firepower, scoring only three points in the last 3:27 of play.
With their back against the wall, coach Gee Abanilla may reactivate June Mar Fajardo even as GlobalPort also has a doubtful key player in Sol Mercado.
Despite losing their last four matches, the Batang Pier are still in strong contention for the Top Six or the best-of-three quarterfinal series.
They need to win two of their last three games to put a lock on a quarterfinals berth. A sweep would give them a shot at the Top Six. (SB)
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