IN A recent interview, Barako Bull guard Willie Miller admitted his team is treading dangerous grounds. 

"Parang naghinintay lang kami ng playoffs at saka doon i-tu-turn on ang game. Lalo na kaming mga beterano, dahil nga sanay na kami sa playoff atmosphere," said two-time Most Valuable Player. 

"Medyo delikado iyon dahil baka hindi mag-on," he added. "Kaya nga dapat iyung desire at energy namin naipapakita na ngayon pa lang. Kapag di nangyari iyon sa susunod na laro at lalo na sa playoffs kasalanan na talaga namin."

Barangay Ginebra scored a shaky 88-83 win over Barako Bull to secure a spot in the best-of-three quarterfinal round of the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup Thursday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Missed free throws by Mike Cortez and Willy Wilson in the closing seconds gave the Kings a scare, but the Energy could not complete the comeback and were relegated to the No. 7 spot after finishing their elimination round with a 7-7 slate.

It was Ginebra’s fourth straight win to improve their mark to 8-5 and will face defending champion Talk ‘N Text on Sunday in the final day of the eliminations.

Powerade got the win it needed in preparation for a tough assignment in the quarterfinals as it toppled Barako Bull, 99-95, to end its elimination round campaign with a 6-8 mark in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Tuesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Already tasked to face one of the top two teams in the quarterfinals, the Tigers showed that they knew how to win in the tight game as they came up with clutch plays in the endgame.

Published on November 27, 2011

POWERADE finally broke Talk N Text's long-time spell and got an additional bonus in the process. 

Gary David scored 27 points in leading a slew of Tigers who came up big in a 131-96 win Sunday that further stoked their drive for a quarterfinals slot in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

Published on November 27, 2011

Mick Pennisi and Dylan Ababou checked their personal slumps and Barako Bull got back on track, topping Rain or Shine, 106-102, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night. 

Pennisi and Ababou combined for six-of-10 three-point shooting and a total of 43 points as Barako played with a newfound energy and confidence to snap a three-game losing skein. 

“Losing our last three games after four straight wins was tough for the team. It’s so good we got over the hump,” sighed Barako coach Junel Baculi.

The Meralco Bolts sparked a late rally in the third quarter to cruise to an 83-75 win over the slumping Barako Bull Energy Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Mark Cardona led all scorers with his 17 points along with four rebounds and two steals, while center Asi Taulava registered a double-double performance of 10 points and 17 rebounds to help Meralco move up to fourth place in the standings with a 7-4 win-loss record.

After Barako Bull guard Paul Artadi tied the game at 50-all in the third period, Meralco suddenly blasted off an 11-0 run, capped by guard Sol Mercado’s attack to the basket to end the quarter.

Forward Niño Canaleta fired 21 points, while his teammates scored crucial baskets in the endgame to fuel the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings to an 85-77 victory over the Alaska Aces Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Canaleta also had eight rebounds and four three-pointers to lead Ginebra, which reverted its player rotation to allow its old mainstays to play more minutes. In their past games, the Gin Kings tried to inject youth to their aging lineup by giving its young players heavy playing time.

Veteran guards Mike Cortez, who chipped in 13 points and four assists, and Jayjay Helterbrand, who poured in 10 points and seven assists, doused water in Alaska’s fiery run in the late stretches of the game.

Published on November 23, 2011

Ageless Asi Taulava turned back time and came through with a mammoth performance as Meralco downed Barako Bull, 83-75, to leap to solo fourth spot in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday. 

Mark Cardona fired 17 points while Gabby Espinas, Solomon Mercado and Mark Isip chipped in 16, 12 and 10, respectively. 

Taulava, who turned 38 this year, however, played the biggest as he came through with monster numbers of 10 points and his conference high 17 rebounds as the Bolts nailed their seventh win against four losses to improve from a share of No. 4 with idle B-Meg (6-4) to solo hold of it.

Published on November 22, 2011

Meralco has not won more than two games in a row in the PBA Philippine Cup. 

But it has kept itself in the upper half of the team standings by being one of only two remaining teams that has not lost back-to-back games in the conference. 

Coming off a week’s rest since a 98-96 win over Powerade a week ago, the Bolts take on dangerous Barako Bull Wednesday, aiming to win consecutive games for already the third time in the conference. 

Published on November 18, 2011

Dennis Miranda came through when his team needed it most as Petron Blaze survived Barako Bull's upset try and hang on to a 75-66 victory yesterday that solidified its place at third place in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. 

Miranda poured in 10 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter including nine in a long stretch that saw the Boosters turning a 54-59 deficit to a commanding 75-64 bulge that resulted in their fourth win in row and seventh overall against three losses that was good enough to send them closer to the pace-setting Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters (7-1) and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7-2).