Manila, Philippines - Mandaluyong clashes with Antipolo while Quezon City battles Caloocan in a pair of explosive matches kicking off the semifinal round of the second Coca-Cola Hoopla National Capital Region Championship at the Mandaluyong gym tomorrow.
Meanwhile, coaches from four of the five cities which made it to the two-round Inter-Zonal phase yesterday expressed their support and cooperation for a successful semifinals.
Host Madaluyong-Central Zone, coached by Romy Bolido and backed by Mayor Benhur Abalos, battles Antipolo-West, under coach James Guevarra and supported by Mayor Danilo Leyble, at 5 p.m., while Caloocan-North, mentored by Ben Ledesma, takes on Quezon City-East, coached by Rene Baena and backed by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, at 7 p.m.
Also present during the coaches meeting called by tournament commissioner Joe Lipa were mentors Jojo Cruz of Taguig and Fred Levita of defending champion Muntinlupa, whose South Zone teams were disputing the fifth and last slot in the Inter-Zonal at presstime.
“We’re just lucky. But we’ll give it everything we’ve got every game,” said Baena, whose QC squad swept the East Zone.
The other coaches paid tribute to the Hoopla grassroots development program launched by JB Baylon, the PBA Powerade Tigers governor and Coca-Cola Export vice president for communications and public affairs.