Texters edge Painters in OT, keep lead

MANILA, Philippines - Jayson Castro came through with clutch baskets in regulation and in overtime to power defending champion Talk n Text to a thrilling 106-104 victory over a hard-fighting Rain or Shine side last night as the Tropang Texters remained on top of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Xavier University Gym in Cagayan de Oro City.

Castro, stepping up in the absence of injured starting guards Jimmy Alapag and Ryan Reyes, scored nine of his 21 points in the extra period, including a hanging drive in the closing seconds to win it for the Tropang Texters, who kept their grip of the lead with an 8-1 (win-loss) slate.

Castro also made a pair of similar drives late in regulation to force the extension at 93.

The Elasto Painters dropped to joint second with the surging Petron Blaze Boosters at 7-3.

Ranidel de Ocampo topscored for TnT with 27 points but was pulled out late in regulation due to cramps, paving the way for Castro’s endgame heroics.

Meanwhile, B-Meg and Barangay Ginebra clash today in an explosive duel of teams seeking to bolster their respective quarterfinal bids with the former hoping to ride on its three-game run and catch Meralco at fourth.

The Kings, on the other hand, are out to check their rollercoaster campaign with the help of two new recruits as they shoot for a share of fifth with Barako Bull at 5-4.

Gametime is set at 5:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Alaska, which bounced back with a 121-111 win over Powerade last Friday, is fancied to notch its first back-to-back wins in the tournament as it plays winless Shopinas.com in the 3:30 p.m. encounter.

The Llamados have settled down after a shaky start with new coach Tim Cone, ripping Shopinas.com (76-65), Meralco (95-79) and Alaska (92-89) to get back into the thick of things at 5-4.

Ginebra, for its part, has been blowing hot and cold, then hot again, scoring a 92-79 win over Shopinas.com in an out-of-town game at the Mindanao Civic Center in Tubod, Lanao del Norte last Nov. 12.

With Rico Maeirhofer and Allein Maliksi now with the Kings following a three-team trade last week, the crowd favorites hope to get the most from the duo in a bid to stop the Llamados and fuel their own run.