Red-hot Batang Pier clash with Hotshots

GLOBALPORT’S Calvin Leslie, Stanley Pringle and Anthony Semerad (from left) gang up on the prolific Marqus Blakely (23) of Purefoods in the game the Star Hotshots won, 83-70, last Friday at Cuneta Astrodome. EDWIN BACASMAS

A Globalport side that is off to its finest start to a conference gets its first acid test Tuesday when the Batang Pier battle defending champion Star Hotshots (formerly Purefoods) in the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Coming off two straight wins against foes not as strong as the Hotshots, Batang Pier coach Pido Jarencio declared last week that the 7 p.m. contest would be their first acid test.

“It will more or less tell us where this (Globalport) team is headed,” he said.

The good thing about Globalport is that Jarencio has a complete lineup, with Stanley Pringle returning from the injury list the last time out and the team having two imports led by the 7-foot-1 Patrick O’Bryant.

Terrence Romeo is also off to a scorching start, pacing the Batang Pier in scoring in both wins.

Pringle missed the last four Globalport games, counting the last three in the previous conference, but immediately made an impact against Blackwater last week. He came off the bench and hit all of his 18 points in the middle two quarters.

“He’s very eager to play, and it’s good that he got the feeling of playing again before we face the Hotshots,” Jarencio said. “It (game against the Hotshots) will be an acid test for all of us.”

Romeo will obviously be on the defensive radar of coach Tim Cone and the Star Hotshots, who were not exactly fluid in a scrambling win over NLEX in their debut.

In the 4:15 p.m. game, Rain or Shine makes it debut and tries to slap a third straight defeat on struggling San Miguel Beer, which has lost to newcomer KIA Motors and Meralco.

Wendell McGinnis will reinforce the Elasto Painters, who were in the losing end of a classic seven-game series with Talk ‘N Text in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

The performance of the Beermen in the Commissioner’s Cup, where they missed the playoffs, has spilled over in this tournament. And this being a short one, the Beermen needs to do something fast and start assembling wins to climb to the upper half of the standings.

Only eight of the 12 teams in the single-round conference make it to the quarterfinals. Each of the top four teams will get a twice-to-beat bonus against Nos. 5 to 8 in the playoffs for semifinal berths.