POLISHING up their games while finishing strong would be the common goal of Meralco and Blackwater when they collide Friday in the PBA On Tour at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.
Game time is 5 p.m.
Both the Bolts and Bossing have won their last two games and are eyeing to close out their pre-season campaign on a high note by also claiming their remaining matches in the 11-game tournament.
After Blackwater, 6-3 Meralco winds up its assignments against Rain or Shine on July 28 while the Bossing next takes on the Elasto Painters next Sunday before squaring off with TNT on July 30-- the last day of the preseason series presented by Arena Plus and sponsored by Bingo Plus.
More important for both teams, their remaining games should offer a good gauge on how far their respective players have adapted to the changes in their respective systems laid forth by their new coaches.
Sponsored content:
Coach Luigi Trillo of Meralco and active consultant Nenad Vucinic could even augment their roster come the Sept. 17 Rookie Draft where they own the No. 8 pick overall.
At least for the "Tour" and despite the absence of a couple of key players in Chris Newsome and Chris Banchero, however, the Bolts seem to have enough materiel to hit their immediate goal of a strong finish as evidenced by their wins over sister teams TNT and NLEX.
In the match against the Road Warriors just two days ago, the Bolts used a combination of some timely sniping and a steady inside game to hammer out a 96-83 victory.
Blackwater has been progressing nicely itself, with its recent successive wins over Phoenix Super LPG and San Miguel Beer, both two-point decisions, punctuating its surge to a 5-3 record.
With his current averages of 16.3 points and 6.0 rebounds Troy Rosario should again lead Blackwater's surge with main help expected from the likes of Rashawn McCarthy, Ato Ular, Baser Amer and James Sena.
Sponsored content:
Perhaps better stocked is Meralco's arsenal with Allein Maliksi, Raymond Almazan, Bong Quinto, Aaron Black and Cliff Hodge the chief threats with Norbert Torres, Alvin Pasaol, Franky Johnson and Diego Dario as capable backups.
Trillo and, most probably, Cariaso wouldn't be around in the match-up, however. Trillo is currently in the US on a scouting trip while Cariaso has just been bitten by the flu bug. (NC)
