Gems, F Fighters gun for title duel

MANILA, Philippines - Cebuana Lhuillier and Hapee try to finish off their respective Final Four rivals today and seal their showdown for the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup championship.

But expect Cagayan Valley and Café France to go all-out and stop their rivals from sweeping their respective best-of-three series at The Arena in San Juan today.

“This is the semifinals. Things happen. I thought my players showed some character,” said Cebuana Lhuillier coach Boysie Zamar, whose Gems stunned the erstwhile unbeaten Rising Suns, 89-85, in the series’ opener last Thursday.

Cagayan Valley came into the semis oozing with confidence after sweeping the elims, including a victory over powerhouse Hapee. But the Gems surprised them with a strong start then held on to the finish to pull off the reversal. They shoot for the sweep at 2 p.m.