Early test for fancied teams up

Talk N Text and Sta. Lucia Realty, considered among the top contenders for the Samsung PBA Governors Cup championship, take their first acid test in the mid-season tournament when they square off tonight at the Astrodome.

The Phone Pals seek a third consecutive win while the Realtors gun for a second straight victory as they clash in a duel that could be a good gauge to measure each one’s strength. Game time is at 7 p.m.

Talk N Text and Sta. Lucia together with Red Bull, Coca Cola and Purefoods are the teams expected by PBA watchers to have a good shot at the crown.

What do these teams have in common? All boast of a formidable local lineup souped up by talented imports.

"It’s a new tournament and I practically have a new team. Marlou (Aquino) is back and we’ve got two good imports. I expect a successful tournament for us," said Sta. Lucia coach Norman Black.

Talk N Text coach Bill Bayno, meanwhile, said that his team should be among the top favorites in the tournament.

The Phone Pals, who topped the Governors Cup eliminations only to get ambushed by the San Miguel Beermen in the quarterfinals, are on a roll again, starting their campaign in the Commissioner’s Cup with lopsided victories over the Shell Turbochargers and the Airfreight 2100/FedEx Express.

But Sta. Lucia was a bit more impressive in its second-conference debut as it pummeled newly-crowned Governors Cup champion Purefoods, 90-75.