Fuel Masters resume F4 drive vs Elite
Phoenix Petroleum seeks to sustain its rise and stay in the fight for the Top Four as the Fuel Masters tangle with the Blackwater Elite and their new import Keala King in the PBA Governors Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo tonight.
The Fuel Masters, now in the middle of the pack after winning four of their last five games, hope to close in on the leaders as they go for a fifth win in nine outings versus the Elite in their 4: 15 p. m. encounter.
Alaska Milk and GlobalPort collide in the other game at 7 p.m., disputing a share of seventh place with Rain or Shine and NLEX at 4-5.
It’s a virtual knockout game between the Aces and the Batang Pier with the loser drifting farther away from the Top Eight – the magic number that will advance to the playoffs.
“We are both fighting for life. So it’s really like a playoff battle already,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton.
At 1-7, Blackwater needs to sweep its last three games against Phoenix, GlobalPort and San Miguel just to gain a shot at a tie for eighth place.
Still, the Blackwater management has brought in King to take over from the injury-stricken Eric Dawson. King is a Long Beach State product with a stint in the Asean Basketball League.
Curiously, the Aces are barely up at 3-5 as they’re now struggling after making the finals in four of the last five PBA tourneys.
“We’re not used to where we are right now. But I can remember very well Rain or Shine last conference. They were 1-4 but then got a good finish ironically against us. Hopefully, we can do what they were able to do,” said Compton.