Titans seek PBL finals vs Warriors

MANILA, Philippines – Oracle Residences tries to finish off Cobra Energy Drink and get into the finals while Licealiz and Pharex go for the go-ahead win in the other semifinal clash in the PBL PG Flex Unity Cup at the San Juan gym today.

The Titans pulled off a 76-68 win in Game 1 then scored a 78-73 repeat over the Energy Warriors to gain a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series.

Oracle coach Glenn Capacio, however, said the Titans must play with a killer’s instinct if they were to sweep the Energy Warriors.

“We have to learn how to finish the game well,” said Capacio. “We can’t afford to relax, especially playing against Cobra. They’re very dangerous.”

Gametime is set at 2 p.m. while the Licealiz-Pharex duel is set at 4 p.m.

The Hair Doctors took Game 1, 83-72, behind Lance Convento, Josh Vanlandingham, Jervy Cruz and Dino Daa but the Bidang Generix leveled the series with an 82-73 win last Saturday.

Fil-Am Chris Ross posted his second triple-double performance in the conference with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10, making the 6-foot-1 rookie a top contender for the MVP award.

Despite the presence of the 6-foot-4 Cruz, 6-foot-6 James Sena and 6-foot-3 Daa in the shaded lane, Ross averaged 15 rebounds in the semis.

Aside from Ross, the Hair Doctors must also clamp down on Cebuano hotshot Ian Saladaga and bull-strong Ronnie Matias. They combined for 30 points the last time.

“We have to be consistent with what we’re doing, especially on our defense. We should be more aggressive. We should not be contended with this win, we have win more games,” said Pharex coach Carlo Tan.

Unlike Licealiz (former Hapee Toothpaste), Pharex is playing in the semis for the first time since joining the league two years ago.