Blackwater, Fruitas duel for solo lead

MANILA, Philippines - Blackwater Sports tests Fruitas’ mettle in a duel of early leaders even as NLEX tries to rebound from a loss as it takes on Cebuana Lhuillier in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Shakers kicked off their campaign with an 81-56 rout over newcomer Jumbo Plastic then rallied from 22 points down to stun the Gems, 75-72, to join the Elite on top.

They, however, admit that it would take a lot of hard work to beat a team like Blackwater.

“Blackwater is a consistent contender so definitely this game will be tough challenge. The key is to be consistent,” said Fruitas coach Nash Racela.

Gametime is at 2 p.m.

“This team still needs to gel and develop some chemistry. We still have a long way to go this conference and there will be a lot of tests. So hopefully, we’ve learned some lessons in our first two games,” said Racela.

The Road Warriors, meanwhile, try to recover from their setback to the Big Chill side in overtime, also last week, as they face the Gems at 12 noon while fellow newcomer Hog’s Breath goes for its second straight win after an opening game loss against a debuting EA Regen Med at 4 p.m. 

“Cebuana is a tough match-up so we have to bring our defensive mindset if we intend to win,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez, who will be without big men Ian Sanggalang and Greg Slaughter for the second straight game.