Ginebra, Talk ‘N Text face off; Crucial tiff for Meralco, Powerade

AKTV/Paolo Papa

Meralco battles for dear life while Talk ‘N Text tries to keep pace with the leaders as they battle separate foes in a crucial double-header in the PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts meet Powerade in the opener at 4:15 pm. while the Tropang Texters square off with crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra at 6:30 p.m.

Meralco is toting a 3-4 win-loss mark and a loss could mean kissing goodbye to its season.

“Battle of survival. It is a big game for both teams,” said Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio, whose team is coming off a 106-77 demolition of Air21.

“We are trying to make the semis via the backdoor and a victory tomorrow (today) can increase our chances.”

Powerade (4-3) is coming off a tough 128-121 loss handed at the hands of Air 21 last Friday that snapped the Tigers’ four-game winning streak and denied them entry into the next round.

“It was a tough loss. We will stay focused on picking up ourselves again,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol. “Meralco is playing really well. We just have to keep up with them and find a way to win.”

Gregorio knows the key to beating the Tigers is to stop import Omar Sneed and prolific scorer Gary David.

“Gary David’s guns must be silent and the overall contribution of Sneed must be checked,” he said.

In the main game, Talk ‘N Text (3-3) seeks its third straight win against the Kings (4-3) who are also eyeing the semifinals.

“We’ve been trying to survive on a game-to-game basis with our depleted lineup and Sunday is no different,” said Tropang Texters coach Chot Reyes.

“This will be a huge game for us versus the crowd favorites. We need to win a big game ‘on the road.’”

For Ginebra coch Siot Tanquingcen, his Kings need to play their game and not allow Talk ‘N Text to dictate the tempo early.

“Talk ‘N Text is really good. We gotta play hard. We must not worry about what they’re doing. We just have to play Ginebra basketball,” Tanquingcen said.

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