Texters fully charged vs Bolts tonite

MANILA, Philippines - Talk n Text reactivates Gilas Pilipinas players Ranidel de Ocampo, Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier as the Tropang Texters hope to get going against the Meralco Bolts in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Meanwhile, Barako Bull seeks to sustain its hot start, gunning for a third straight win against Barangay Ginebra in the day’s other game.

The Tropang Texters and the Bolts slug it out at 5:15 p.m. then the Energy Cola and the Gin Kings square off at 7:30 p.m.

“The goal is try to improve our game and get some wins. Like everyone else, the goal is to aim for the playoff advantage by finishing in the top half of the standings,” said Talk n Text coach Norman Black.

De Ocampo, Castro and Fonacier have opted to cut short their vacation to help their team get back on track.

The Tropang Texters barely hurdled the Energy Cola, 118-113, in overtime on Aug. 16 and bowed to the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 99-118, Sunday.

Still out is Jimmy Alapag who is still in the United States and won’t rejoin the Texters until their fifth game in the tourney versus the Alaska Milk Aces on Sept. 6.

Meralco also has its manpower problem due to injuries.

“We are having a hard time scoring with Mark Cardona and Jared Dillinger not yet ready to play,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.

“Because of that weakness, we are focused on defense. We can’t let Talk n Text score over 100 and expect to win the game. It has to be a long-drawn out defensive struggle for us to have a chance,” Gregorio also said.

Tipped to be a scoring battle is the Barako-Ginebra tiff.

The Energy Cola showed tremendous firepower in winning their last two games versus the Meralco Bolts and the Air21 Express while the Kings relied heavily on LA Tenorio’s 34-point explosion in ripping the Bolts, 98-85, the last time out.

Tenorio made the big difference as the Kings broke into the win column. He surpassed his previous best of 33 points and also logged seven rebounds and the same number of assists.

Given a special plaque at halftime for his Gilas participation, Tenorio returned ablaze in the second half, torching the Bolts with 16 points in the third quarter.