Suns, Chargers zero in on semis berth

MANILA, Philippines - Cagayan Valley and Big Chill step up their respective bids for an outright semifinal berth as they take on separate rivals today in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gym.

Tied with Blackwater Sports and Café France at second with 4-2 slates, the Rising Suns and the Superchargers go for key victories against the Jose Rizal U Bombers and the Erase Xfoliant side at 12 noon and 2 p.m., respectively.

Cagayan is actually coming off a 75-84 defeat to NLEX two weeks ago with the Rising Suns hoping to come out strong from a long layoff against a JRU side desperately seeking to stay in contention.

“JRU is a tough team. But we are motivated. Every game for us is a must win. Hopefully, that mind set will land us in the playoffs,” said Cagayan coach Alvin Pua.

After losing their last two games and four of their first five, the Heavy Bombers are aching to rebound to remain in playoff contention.

The same goes for the Superchargers, who are expected to have their hands full against the Erasers also raring to bounce back from a poor start.

The Rising Suns are among the league’s top scoring teams with an 83-point norm. But they are also the worst team in defense, allowing 81 points an outing.

The Rising Suns also need solid production from Christopher Exciminiano and Raymund Alamazan, the league’s top rebounder, who struggled against the Road Warriors.

Pua said they would need to sweep their remaining four games to earn an outright spot in the semis or at least split their remaining schedule to advance to the quarterfinals.   

The Road Warriors clinched one of the two outright Final Four berths on the strength of their 8-1 (win-loss) record. The second slot is a toss-up among Cagayan Valley, Big Chill, Blackwater Sports and Café France.

“We know how tight the race for the outright semis berth is and it is important for us to win against Erase,” said Big Chill coach Robert Sison, adding the team’s main concern now is to get back on the winning track.

Big Chill has lost its last two games against NLEX and Fruitas and now has to fight its way to the semis.

Sison conceded that their poor defensive effort was a big factor to their two losses. He said the issue has already been addressed.

“Erase is a dangerous team. Their scorers can explode any given time. Coach Aric is a veteran coach and he has in his shoulders the winning formula of winning games,” Sison said.

The Erasers have lost their last three games but their determination to wheel back into contention for a playoff berth make them dangerous. With a 2-4 record, the Erasers are hard-pressed to win their last four games to earn a quarter-final slot and avoid elimination.