CRUCIAL TIFF FOR ENERGY, SORENTO
IF BARAKO Bull and Kia are eagerly anticipating one match this should be it.
The Energy and Sorento clash in a critical contest Sunday in a game that could decide where they are headed in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The winner of the 3 p.m. match not only gets to occupy No. 10, which is the last one being offered in the quarterfinals following the 11-game eliminations.
A victory will also prep each squad up for the remainder of their respective elims campaign, which should prove to be a very tough stretch indeed.
“This game is crucial for us. A win will propel us to the No. 10 spot and will give us the confidence to play in our succeeding games,” noted Barako coach Koy Banal.
“Crucial game for us,” agreed Kia tactician Glenn Capacio. “If we win we’ll have a big chance to enter the quarterfinals.”
Following the game, the Sorento wind up their maiden elims campaign against San Miguel Beer, Purefoods, Meralco and NLEX while the Energy still have Alaska, Talk N Text, Blackwater, NLEX and Purefoods to tackle.
No wonder Sunday’s match is a virtual make-or-break for each.
It’s not that Barako and Kia have not tried to elude the complications of this meeting.
Excluding their come-from-behind victory over fellow expansion team Blackwater, the Sorento came up with their worthiest performance yet in the tourney by engaging leader Alaska in a tight contest last Tuesday before getting swallowed up by Calvin Abueva’s heroics and dropping an 85-75 decision.
Ditto for the Energy last Wednesday, when they kept pace with Barangay Ginebra for majority of the match before absorbing a 75-94 defeat, no thanks to Joseph Yeo’s last quarter explosion.
It’s now a question of which between Barako and Kia gets to avoid such collapse, sustain its surge and realize its immediate goal.
Capacio is hoping it would be his team. “We’ll just ride on the momentum that we had against Alaska. The team is in high morale even though we lost that game,” he said. (NC)
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