Cafe France, Blackwater face in vital tiff

MANILA, Philippines - Café France and Blackwater Sports face off today, both looking for a crucial victory and a share of second place with Big Chill as the race for the other outright semifinal berths heats up in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

The Bakers hope to stretch their win run to three, including a 66-52 romp that ended a long 24-win streak by the NLEX Road Warriors although they expect a tough challenge from the Elite in the high noon encounter between two of the league’s fancied teams.

“We have to face all challenges now and always play with a sense of urgency because teams won’t take us for granted anymore,” said Café France coach Egay Macaraya.

In contrast, the Elite are aching to bounce back from a sorry 68-70 loss to defending champion NLEX that snapped their four-game winning streak.

Guard Jens Knuttel scored 14 points and reserved center Marion Magat tallied a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds as Café France dealt NLEX its first defeat in the conference with a stunning 14-point blowout last week.

“The key to winning (against Blackwater) is to play with an extra effort and lots of energy. Doing the little things will make the difference,” said Macaraya.

Although they are coming off a loss, Blackwater Sports coach Leo Isaac believes his chargers have a good chance to rebound from last week’s setback.

“I like our chances. We will end the year with a win and tied for second place in the team standings,” said Isaac.

Café France and Blackwater Sports are tied for third place at 4-2 (win-loss) record with the winner joining Big Chill in second.

With an 8-1 record, the NLEX Road Warriors have practically secured its place in the semifinals but coach Boyet Fernandez insists they still need to win their last game to seal the No.1 seeding.

The Road Warriors wind up their elims round assignment against the struggling Cebuana Lhuillier Gems (3-3) at 2 p.m.