Petron duels Barako; TNT, Meralco collide

MANILA—Petron Blaze seeks the early solo lead even as sister teams Meralco and Talk ‘N Text debut against each other Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Coming off a defense-oriented 73-69 decision of B-Meg just two nights ago, the Boosters return to action in the 5:15 p.m. contest against Barako Bull, a franchise on the comeback trail with what looks to be a solid team on paper.

Former two-time MVP Willie Miller and the dynamic Danny Seigle will lead the Energy, one of two teams that businessman Bert Lina owns and whose core is made up of the former Air21 Express.

The Tropang Texters, with 6-foot-9 Smart Gilas beanpole Japeth Aguilar, will get going at 7:30 p.m. in their first game since losing in the Governors’ Cup Finals and being denied a Grand Slam by Petron.

Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel de Ocampo and Ryan Reyes will remain the backbone of the Texters, but a lot is expected from Aguilar, the former No. 1 Draft pick who held out from playing for Burger King and was subsequently traded to Talk ‘N Text.

The Boosters are listed as favorites against the Energy after they showed no traces of championship hangover in a hard-fought win against the Llamados, who are, hands-down, the strongest team in this tournament on paper.

Petron has indeed changed its image from being a powerhouse offensive squad into a defensive dynamo with the way it shut down the Llamados last Wednesday.

A big reason for that is Arwind Santos, the reedy forward who scored 11 points and grabbed 19 rebounds while anchoring the Boosters’ last line of defense.

Against the Llamados, superstars Kerby Raymundo and James Yap were held to just 10 points each, with the limited production of the 6-foot-7 Raymundo credited mainly to the way Santos made him change his shots on several instances underneath.

Rookie Chris Lutz was splendid in his debut for the Boosters, and his matchup with Miller could be a very interesting one.

Miller will be playing for yet another team after being traded by Ginebra near the end of the Governors’ Cup. He is again expected to become a go-to guy, the role that he has played throughout his pro career.

Alex Cabagnot and the rejuvenated Danny Ildefonso will also play major minutes for the Boosters.

Lutz was the third rookie after Paul Lee of Rain or Shine and Marcio Lassiter of Powerade to shine in the first three games of the tournament, finishing with 19 points to pace the Boosters.