John-O, La Salle go for win No. 4

John-O Juzz and ICTSI La Salle try to break out of a tight four-way tie for the top spot when they face Montana Pawnshop and Shark Energy Drink, respectively, in today’s PBL Chairman’s Cup at the Makati Coliseum.

Playing in their first PBL tournament, the Manny Dandan-mentored Juzzers have made heads turn by winning three of their first four outings, including one over the slumping Shark quintet (71-69) last Monday.

Riding the crest of that victory over Shark, John-O Juzz shoots for another one versus Montana at 6 p.m., hoping to grab at least a share of the lead in a conference when the big guns are surprisingly languishing at the cellar.

Shark no longer looks like the team that owns two PBL titles after it dropped three games in a row that brought them down the cellar alongside the Johnny Tam-coached RP Youth Burlington team.

The Power Boosters tackle the Archers at 4 p.m. hoping to put a stop to an alarming skid, their worst since entering the league three years ago, and recover lost ground following that sorry loss to the Juzzers.

La Salle and John-O Juzz are currently on top in the company of Kutitap Toothpaste and Ateneo Hapee, which failed to keep its hold of the solo lead following a 67-73 setback to red-hot Ana Freezers two nights ago.