MANILA, Philippines - Café France and Racal slug it out today in a fierce duel for one of two outright semifinal berths in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Tied at second with 6-1 slates, the Bakers and the Tile Masters dispute the coveted berth at 5 p.m. with the winner clinching the other semis incentive.
League-leading Cignal-San Beda has zeroed in on the first berth with a 7-1 mark.
Racal coach Jerry Codiñera has admitted his side will have its hands full against Cafe France, saying, “it’s a champion team.”
The PBA great also said that the Tile Masters are coming into the match as underdogs, citing their off-season tiff with the Bakers, who made short work of the former.
“They’re really strong but we’ll be ready to make some adjustments. We have players who I hope can provide quality support for our leaders,” said Codiñera.
Kent Salado, Sidney Onwubere and Jackson Corpuz are expected to carry the cudgels anew for the Tile Masters, who will be up against a Café France side still trying to reach peak form.
“We’re still trying to be consistent. But the only thing I can hope is for us to have a breakout game because we badly need,” said Bakers’ coach Egay Macaraya, who will be banking on the likes of Paul Desiderio, Michael Calisaan and Rod Ebondo.
Meanwhile, Tanduay primes up for the quarterfinals as it takes on winless Blustar at 3 p.m.