Meralco, Phoenix and Blackwater, three teams that made good first impressions in the Philippine Basketball Association On Tour preseason tournament, shoot for second victories at the Ynares Arena in Pasig on Sunday.
The Bolts and the Fuel Masters clash in the main game at 7:30 p.m. right after the match between opening-day winner Blackwater and debuting Magnolia at 5 p.m.
Meralco, which walloped NorthPort, 97-89, on 24 May, faces the Fuel Masters who stunned San Miguel Beer, 106-101.
Luigi Trillo didn’t have much difficulty getting the Bolts to work on the same page under his tutelage.
“Playing tune-up games for us is a time for experiment, so we didn’t have the usual lineup that we have,” Trillo said. “Coach Nenad (Vucinic) and I are working closely together. He knows a lot of things in the game of basketball. But I like what I’m seeing and I’m excited. Just like my players, I also want to learn and it’s a good feeling when you’re the ones handling the (coaching board).”
Against Phoenix, which is also starting a new chapter after losing one of its top players in Encho Serrano, the Bolts expect a tough game.
The Fuel Masters drew double-digit production from eight players in their previous win over the Beermen, a tribute to the trust and confidence of head coach Jamike Jarin in his wards.
That unpredictability will be the weapon of choice of the Fuel Masters against the defensive-minded Bolts.
“We’re going to do it collectively,” said Jarin, when asked about the more than 10 points per game average vacated by Serrano.
“We’ll take two more points from the other guards that we have.”
Blackwater takes on Magnolia, which will also parade two new players beginning this off-season tournament — Abu Tratter and David Murrell.
Tratter and Murrell became the centerpiece of the trade involving Adrian Wong and a first-round pick that will become the cornerstone of Converge’s young franchise.
The Bossing and the Hotshots collide at 5 p.m.
