Pals back in form, trip SLR

Talk n Text dominated the boards all night and the Pals thrashed the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 99-84, to be at fifth place halfway through the Talk n Text PBA Fiesta Cup eliminations at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Pals crashed the boards relentlessly, outrebounding their rivals, 61-42, and scoring heavily on second shots as they snapped a two-game losing skein and finished the first half of the elims with four wins against five losses.

Despite the win, Talk n Text coach Derrick Pumaren, said they missed their target of winning at least 60 percent of their games in the initial round of the elims.

"We needed that win to stay in the middle of the pack. We missed our target in the first round but at least we remain in strong contention for an outright seat in the quarterfinals," said Pumaren.

The top two teams after the double-round eliminations get automatic entry into the semifinals while the next three gain outright passage into the quarterfinals.

Red Bull simply outclassed Welcoat, 100-71, to regain the solo lead in the chart with an 8-2 card in the nightcap.

Sta. Lucia slid to joint seventh with idle Purefoods on a second straight blowout loss.

The Giants (3-6) seek to move ahead as they tangle with the Air21 Express at 7 p.m. tonight at The Arena in San Juan.

Beaten by San Miguel and Red Bull in its last two games, Talk n Text recalled its winning form, leading by as many as 29 points in the one-sided contest.

Mark Cardona scored a game-high 24 points while Don Allado and James Sullinger both came through with a double-double outing for the Pals..

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has decided to tap a new import in former Chicago Bull Jeff Varem to replace Anthony Johnson. A product of Washington State, Varem is to be measured in the PBA office today.