Batang Pier, Fuel Masters play for Top 8 bid; Elite seek survival

Games Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:30 p.m. – Kia vs GlobalPort

7 p.m. -- Blackwater vs Phoenix

MANILA, Philippines – GlobalPort and Phoenix Petroleum seek to keep spots in the top eight while Blackwater fights to survive in a critical double-header touching off the final 10 days of the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

The Batang Pier tangle with the out-of-the-running Kia Picanto at 4:30 p.m. then the Elite and the Fuel Masters slug it out at 7 p.m. in a twin bill featuring three teams in a mad scramble with four other ball clubs for the four remaining berths in post-elims play.

San Miguel Beer (7-2), Magnolia (7-3), Alaska Milk (6-4) and NLEX (6-4) are assured of playoff entry while Rain or Shine (5-3), Barangay Ginebra (5-5), GlobalPort (4-5), Phoenix (4-5), Blackwater (4-6), TNT KaTropa (4-6) and Meralco (4-6) are those left to dispute the four remaining playoff spots. Kia is out with a poor 1-8 slate.

The Batang Pier and the Fuel Masters dropped their last outing versus Hotshots and the Bolts, thus, sliding to joint seventh. 

Coaches Pido Jarencio and Louie Alas, however, are hopeful they would hurdle their remaining challenges and salvage playoff passage.

“The good thing is that our fate is still in our hands. We win our last two games and we’ll advance without any complication,” said Alas.

After Wednesday night’s games, GlobalPort and Phoenix will be up against each other in the last day of the elims on March 2.

The Batang Pier are fancied to win against the Picanto but the Fuel Masters could well be up for a tough battle with the Elite.

“Must win for us,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac as to their focus in setting out for the match.

Both Phoenix and Blackwater will miss one key player each – Fuel Master Matthew Wright and Elite Allein Maliksi — that’s on loan to Gilas in the second window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Nonetheless, the Fuel Masters and the Elite are expected to engage in a slam-bang battle.

Rain or Shine, at 5-3, is a win away from an outright playoff entry and is actually still in the running for a Top Two finish which rewards a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

Ginebra (5-5), bungling a first crack at the playoffs on an upset by a badly undermanned Meralco team Sunday, is assured of another shot at it versus Rain or Shine in the last game of the elims of March 2.