Having just recently been dealt a big blow in their respective bids, both Converge and Meralco on Friday try once more to hit their targets when they square off in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The FiberXers have already been assured of a ticket in the eight-team quarterfinals, but where they land there is a question bigger than the one the Bolts are trying to answer.

Coach Aldin Ayo’s charges are coming off a 103-106 loss to Phoenix Super LPG last Sunday that dropped the former to a 6-3 record and currently a rung out of the top four which has a twice-to-beat reward each in the next round.

For its part, Meralco wants nothing more than to bag a sixth win in its 10th game that would not only formalize its quarterfinals entry but also keep alive its hopes of landing a top-four spot since it would then switch places with Converge going to their last assignments in the 11-game eliminations.

The Bolts duel Phoenix Super LPG on Sunday, the very same day Converge battles Barangay Ginebra.

Just a loss in its last two games would severely dampen coach Norman Black’s team’s goals and relegate it to having to win twice over a higher-ranked squad in the quarters.

Considering the high stakes in Friday’s match, expect Converge and Meralco to engage in a no-holds-barred duel.

How each bounces back from recent heartbreakers would also be in focus.

But while Converge has had some time since its loss to Phoenix, Meralco must do a quick turnaround following a 107-112 heartbreaker to Ginebra just last Wednesday when the Bolts failed to hold on to an early 10-point lead and match the Gin Kings’ surge in the last four minutes.

The biggest key for Converge is how to provide better support for import Jamaal Franklin, who has become the main target of the other teams’ defenses after averaging almost 39 points in the six games he has played since coming in as a replacement for Ethan Rusbatch.

Franklin did bounce back from a 19-point performance against Blackwater by notching 30 against Phoenix but only nine of those came in the fourth period when the FiberXers failed to stem the Fuel Masters’ assault.