Basketball
Barako Bull, Powerade in do-or-die playoff; Meralco awaits winner
AKTV/Paolo Papa
Barako Bull battles Powerade Tuesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum in the first of two do-or-die matches for the remaining semifinals slot in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
The Energy and the Tigers square off at 6:45 p.m. with the winner moving on to a winner-take-all game against Meralco.
All three teams finished with identical 4-5 marks after the elimination round but the Bolts earned a bye due to their superior quotient over the two.
Barako Bull managed to stay in the race after an 81-79 squeaker over Meralco last Sunday.
The Energy of coach Junel Baculi were poised to take the bye for themselves after leading the Bolts by as much as 17 points but they failed to hold onto the big margin.
“We tend to relax when we’re on top. Now we have to take the longer route,” said Baculi. “We’ll review the tape and let’s see what happens.”
Baculi is confident in their chances as they bested both teams in the elimination round but he knows the Tigers are a different team now.
The Tigers were on a roll on one stretch, even holding a share of the second spot with 4-2 mark but dropped their last games to figure in the playoff.
Powerade ended the eliminations with a three-game losing streak, including a 110-98 overtime loss at the hands of B-MEG last Saturday in Legazpi City.
“We were given numerous chances and we did not get it done,” said Perasol. “We know we won’t have another one if we let it go this time around.”
Omar Sneed, Gary David and Jvee Casio will be the key players for Powerade while Baculi hopes that Willie Miller will bounce back from a seven-point performance against the Bolts.
Miller and Baculi had a heated exchange during the game against Meralco but the Barako Bull mentor said that they just both wanted to win and that they patched things up after the game.
