Using its size to great effect, Barangay Ginebra on Friday night repulsed Barako Bull and stayed within striking distance of the PBA Philippine Cup lead.

Even with top guards Mark Caguioa and LA Tenorio playing well below 100 percent because of a mysterious viral infection, the Gin Kings still proved too much for the Energy to handle, with an 95-79 decision of the Energy giving them a second straight win in the elimination round at the Araneta Coliseum.

Japeth Aguilar scored 16 points and 7-foot rookie Greg Slaughter had 15 points and the same number of rebounds as the duo led a hard-nosed fourth quarter stand by the Kings en route to their fifth win in six games overall.

Only Petron Blaze, which is undefeated in six matches, has a better record, with the Boosters shooting for a seventh straight win on Saturday at the Dipolog City Coliseum in Mindanao against Meralco. That game is slated at 3:30 p.m.

and the Boosters can put some distance on the Kings with another win and keep

the inside track in the race for the No. 1 spot which is expected to heat up

some more going into the holidays.

Petron and Ginebra clash for the first time this season on Christmas Day at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay in a game that will relive the rivalry of Slaughter and the 6-foot-9 June Mar Fajardo that dates all the way back to their teen years in Cebu.

“We want to take it one game at a time,” Slaughter said when asked of the much-anticipated matchup. “We still have two more games to go – against Air21 and Alaska – before that match. “But we will be ready for them (Boosters),” he said. “I will be ready, and my teammates will be ready.”

Ginebra played just hard enough to pound out the win against the Energy, nearly throwing away a 14-point lead in the third quarter after Barako Bull opted for the zone defense at the start of the fourth.

“We controlled the tempo of the game and we dominated the boards in the first three quarters,” Ginebra coach Ato Agustin said in Filipino. “It’s good that we had a huge lead when they played the zone which rattled our players.”

Ginebra plucked down 54 rebounds against the 43 of the Energy, and the Kings moved the ball a lot better by issuing 24 assists compared to the 16 of Barako Bull, which dropped to 2-4 with its fourth straight defeat.

“No, there was no overconfidence on our part,” Agustin said. “My players know that Barako Bull is a veterans-laden team, and that their experience is their best weapon.”

Mac Baracael also scored 15 and Tenorio played for 34 minutes to shoot 10 despite being clearly a step slower than he usually is after recovering from flu-like symptoms that almost kept him out of action the last time out.

Caguioa was scoreless in eight minutes, though Agustin said that the former MVP will be ready against Air21 next week.

Meanwhile, Globalport extended its franchise-best winning streak to three games earlier in the night with a 94-84 ripping of Alaska in the first game.

Sol Mercado and rookie Terrence Romeo did the most damage on the Aces, combining for 37 first half points – two more than what the Aces scored in the first two periods – that led to the easy win.

The Batang Pier are now 4-3, rising past .500 for the first time this season, while dealing the Aces a second straight defeat in a 2-5 card.

Romeo hit 13 of his 21 points in the first quarter and Mercado scored at will for 16 second quarter points, leading the Batang Pier to a 55-35 lead at the half which the Aces were never really able to put a dent on the rest of the way.

Alaska played without Calvin Abueva, who sprained a foot during practice on Thrusday, and the Aces came out on a limp and were dominated all night by the streaking Batang Pier.