Texters, B Pier clash for joint 2nd

Games today (Cuneta Astrodome) 4:15 p.m. – Star vs Blackwater 7 p.m. – TNT KaTropa vs GlobalPort

TNT KaTropa and GlobalPort tangle tonight for a share of second with a surging Phoenix Petroleum while Blackwater and Star step up their respective playoff drives in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

The Hotshots and the Elite square off at 4:15 p.m. then the Texters and the Batang Pier face off at 7 p.m. in a crucial doubleheader featuring four teams contending for the six remaining spots in the postelims play.

TNT and GlobalPort are tied with Alaska Milk and Rain or Shine at third at 5-4, Blackwater, together with Barangay Ginebra, is half-game behind at 5-5 while Star is at ninth place at 4-4. The seven teams are closely bunched together in the middle of the chart with 10 games left in the eliminations.

“We must win to stay in the hunt for the playoffs. We are in the same scenario with TNT, and we expect an aggressive game from the start. We need to slow them down,” said GlobalPort coach Franz Pumaren.

Actually, the winner in the TNT-GlobalPort setto virtually claims a playoff berth with a shot at a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, guaranteeing a fierce battle between the contenders.

TNT coach Nash Racela expressed hopes they’re headed in the right direction following his troops’ solid showing in their 104- 92 drubbing of the Mahindra Floodbuster on Jan. 18.

“I’m not so much satisfied with the game but on the effort of the players to find a way to deliver a positive outcome,” said Racela.

GlobalPort, meanwhile, is out to bounce back from a 100- 106 loss to San Miguel Beer where Terrence Romeo, the tournament scoring leader, was shackled by the tough SMB defense.

And it became a lot tougher for the Batang Pier with Arwind Santos scoring a four-year personal high of 31 points and complementing another double-double game by June Mar Fajardo.

The Hotshots and the Elite are also bracing for a key showdown.

“We’re considering our last three games ( in the elims) as playoff games already. We need to surpass or match the intensity and aggressiveness of Blackwater. We need to win to enhance our playoff chance,” said Star coach Chito Victolero.

The Hotshots play three games in the last five playdates of the elims. They take on the Meralco Bolts at the Philsports Arena on Saturday then the Mahindra Floodbuster next Wednesday.

Blackwater, meanwhile, closes out its elims stint versus Star. The Elite must win to avoid possible tie at eighth spot.

The Texters and the Batang Pier clash in a matchup with an exciting side showdown between Gilas ace guards Jason Castro and Romeo.