Chargers retain Banks, Jackson, battle Kings today

The Shell team management and coaching staff would love to bring back Cedric Webber but a breach of a league rule by the sweet-shooting import gave the team no other option but to stick it out with George Banks and Johnny Jackson.

Thus, Banks and Jackson have nothing to worry about losing their spot and may keep their focus on the game as the Turbochargers clash with the Barangay Ginebra Kings in a crucial tiff in the Samsung PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena today.

The lone game is set at 7 p.m. with Shell seeking to move within a win of an outright quarterfinals berth while Ginebra hopes to check its skid to avoid another early ouster in the tournament.

Webber was barred from a return stint for Shell in the mid-season tourney after leaving the team three weeks ago to attend the Philadelphia Sixers summer camp. He complained of a sore back in asking Shell to give him a two-week break.

With Webber going home on July 9, Shell signed up Banks to a one-month contract. The contract has been extended for the rest of the conference with Webber not allowed to play in the tourney.

The explosive forward was back in town and watched on the gallery as Banks, Jackson and the rest of the team were outclassed by the San Miguel Beermen, 55-83, last Friday.

That snapped Shell’s three-game skein and kept the team in the lower half of the chart with a 3-4 win-loss card.

As things stand now, the Turbochargers face tall odds of having to sweep their last three games against the Ginebra Kings, the Sta. Lucia Realtors and the Purefoods Hotdogs to gain a crack at the Top Four with its twice-to-beat privilege in the quarterfinals.

But the task to enter the quarters seems tough for Shell with the team on shaky ground at seventh place, tied with FedEx at 3-4, only a game ahead of RP Selecta (3-5).

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra, at 2-6, is teetering on the brink of elimination.

The Kings have lost their last three games, five of their last six, and 11 of their last 15 dating back to the previous conference where they finished second to last with a forgettable 3-8 record.

They suffered a 63-80 blowout at the hands of the Alaska Aces in their last game Saturday at the Ynares Center.