Big Chill, Freego eye sweep, finals

MANILA, Philippines - Big Chill and Freego Jeans go all-out for a repeat while NLEX and Cebuana Lhuillier try to force a pair of sudden deaths in the semifinal round of the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at Ynarez Sports Arena today.

The Super Chargers and the Jeans Makers pulled off a pair of reversals over their highly rated rivals at the start of the Final Four last Tuesday with the former routing the top-seeded Road Warriors, 83-66, and the latter snatching a come-from-behind 57-56 victory over the No. 2 Gems.

“We have a chance to make the finals. But we’ll just keep it that way. No celebrations. My job now is to make sure the players keep their focus – mentally and physically,” said Big Chill coach Arsenio Dysangco.

The Super Chargers and the Road Warriors clash at 2 p.m. while the Jeans Makers and the Gems collide at 4 p.m.

Big Chill pounced on NLEX’s cold shooting to seize control then sustained its pace in the second half to run away with the victory.

“We allowed them (Super Chargers) a lot of easy baskets. But we will bounce back. That’s for sure,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

The Road Warriors, however, will be without power forward Calvin Abueva, who was suspended for one game for a flagrant foul category 2 for hitting Jessie Collado on the head in the third quarter.

Freego Jeans coach Leo Austria is also bracing for a big Cebuana comeback although the Jeans Makers are ready to slug it out with the fancied Gems.

“I’m sure they’ll be entering the game with the mindset that there’s no tomorrow for them. So they’ll do everything and I expect them to play physical from the start,” Austria said.

Roider Cabrera hit a triple as time expired as the Jeans Makers surprised the Gems, who finished second to NLEX in the elims.