B Generix, Doctors eye semis berths

MANILA, Philippines – Pharex and Licealiz try to book the last two outright semifinal berths today as they battle separate rivals in the 2009 PBL PG Flex Unity Cup at the San Juan gym.

The Bidang Generix routed the Magnolia Wizards last Tuesday behind Fil-Am Chris Ross and Ian Saladaga to gain a crack at the semis slot although they would need to hurdle top qualifier Oracle Titans to get into the next round outright.

Gametime is at 4 p.m.

The Hair Doctors, on the other hand, clash with the Wizards in the 2 p.m. opener, hoping to duplicate their first round win and join the Titans in the semis.

Licealiz holds the No. 2 spot in the five-team field with a 4-3 card while Pharex and Magnolia have similar 3-4 slates heading into the final playdate of the double round classification phase.

Oracle Residences, with a 6-1 mark, took the first semis berth as early as last week.

If Pharex and Magnolia drop their games, the Bidang Generix should take the No. 3 spot in the Final Four phase with the Wizards relegated into a quarterfinal series – a best-of-three-affair – against last-placer Cobra Energy Drink.

But if the Bidang Generix lose to the Titans coupled with a Magnolia victory, the Wizards and Hair Doctors advance to the semis outright.

However, if Magnolia wins by at least 16 points over Licealiz and Pharex beats Oracle, the Wizards and Bidang Generix will advance to the semis and send the Hair Doctors to the quarterfinals.

If Magnolia wins by 15 points or less and Pharex wins, the Bidang Generix and Hair Doctors will advance to the semis and the Wizards will drop to the quarters against the Cobra five.

The Titans, bannered by Benedict Fernandez, Rico Maierhofer and Chris Timberlake, beat the Bidang Generix, 92-84, in the first round. The Titans should raise their game a notch higher if they want to repeat over the Bidang Generix who burned the Wizards with their almost flawless shooting in the third.

Josh Vanlandingham, coming off a brilliant 32-point performance against the Energy Warriors, will again spearhead Licealiz’s attack along with former UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz, James Sena and Lance Convento.