Staying the course

Roger Pogoy has been the man of the hour for the Texters. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Being one of two teams left with a chance to forge a playoff for the last quarterfinal bonus, TNT KaTropa cranks up its drive to get there when the red-hot Texters battle Columbian on Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Dominant in their last four games and not having a tournament heavyweight left for the rest of their elimination round schedule, the Texters square off with the Dyip in the 4:30 p.m. game even as Magnolia plays for the third straight game day looking to fortify its playoff bid.

“There’ still a lot of work to do. We’re just focusing on our target (of winning our remaining games),” said TNT coach Bong Ravena, whose squad is at 6-3 and capable of catching idle Rain or Shine for the second-best record after the eliminations.

The Texters will close out against ousted NorthPort on Sunday.

Barangay Ginebra is the only other team that can match that, with the Gin Kings having a 5-3 record.

Ravena said that his team needs complete focus and definitely cannot take the Dyip lightly.

“We cannot take them for granted and we cannot relax. We need to be focused,” he said. “Actually we’re worried as we strive to be consistent (in this conference).”

Magnolia, after frustrating NorthPort on Wednesday night, returns to action to face also-ran Blackwater in the 7 p.m. contest.

This is also an important game for the Hotshots, who could seal a place in the playoffs with a win but still won’t be out of the bottom half of the draw in the next round.

“We need to stay hungry. We need to have the proper mind-set in the next 24 hours,” Hotshots coach Chito Victolero said.

The Hotshots will definitely be the more tired team coming into this contest, having also played last Sunday, losing, 97-93, to Barangay Ginebra in overtime in the most-watched game of the tournament so far.

As things stand, the 2018 Governors’ Cup champions are in seventh spot with a 4-5 record. A sweep of their last two games could put them smack in the middle of the race—something Victolero would rather focus on rather than feel sorry for having lost some close games.

“It’s tough, but we have to man up and stay together,” he said. “We just have to bond together to pull through.”

Blackwater, which currently holds a 2-8 record, will try to snap a two-game slide and end the conference triumphantly.

Columbian, for its part, is in dire need of a victory to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth.