Hapee, Viva try to arrange title clash

Hapee Toothpaste and Viva Mineral Water try to arrange a showdown for the Sunkist-PBL 2003 Unity Cup crown as they take on separate rivals today at close of the semis at the Makati Coliseum.

With a 4-1 (win-loss) card, Hapee has the inside track for one of the finals berths. In fact, the Teeth Sparklers can afford to drop their 4 p.m. game against the Montana Jewellers and still clinch the top spot.

With a +21 quotient over Viva and Montana, Hapee is heavily favored to advance to the championship round. For the Jewellers to force a playoff for the second berth, they must prevail by 24 points.

On the other hand, the Water Force, tied with the Jewellers with 3-2 marks, also seem to have a lighter assignment in the also-ran John-O Senators (0-5), whom they will meet in the 2 p.m. opener.

The National Broadcasting Network will telecast the Montana-Hapee encounter live at 4 p.m. with the John-O vs. Viva match to be aired at 10 p.m. Solar Sports Channel 29 will telecast the first game at 4 p.m. with the second game immediately following at 6 p.m.