Jumbo, Hog’s seek semis berths today

MANILA, Philippines - Third seed Jumbo Plastic and No. 4 Hog’s Breath Café go all out for victories today as they seek semifinal berths against Blackwater Sports and Cagayan Valley, respectively, in the quarterfinal round of the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the San Juan Arena.

“That’s our goal. We don’t want a knockout game. If that happens, momentum will be on Blackwater’s side,” said Jumbo Plastic coach Joel Dualan, whose Giant will face the Elite at 2 p.m.

The Giants defeated the Elite, 79-72, in overtime in their only meeting in the elims.

“(Blackwater) is not a high-scoring team. So matching-up really won’t be a problem. What we’re worry about is our offense. If we make our shots, we’ll be okay,” Dualan said.

Blackwater coach Leo Isaac, meanwhile, said they are ready against the Giants.

“It’s payback time. We almost had them in our first meeting until (Harold) Arboleda knocked a three-point shot late in the game to force overtime,” Isaac said. “Our backs may be against the wall but I like our chances.”

Jumbo Plastic and Hog’s Breath Café enjoy twice-to-beat edges over their respective rivals for finishing third and fourth in the standings at the end of the elims. The winners of their respective match-ups will advance to the next round against semifinalists-in-waiting NLEX and Big Chill.

The defending champion Road Warriors and The Superchargers clinched outright semis seats by finishing 1-2 in the elims.

Meanwhile, Hog’s Breath Cafe hopes to ride on the momentum of their stunning 84-68 romp over Big Chill at the close of the elims last Thursday when it collides with Cagayan Valley at 4 p.m.

“The nice thing about this win is that we were able to make the right adjustments because in the next round, we have to be mentally focused,” said Hog’s Breath Café coach Caloy Garcia.

The Razorbacks also defeated the Rising Suns, 82-78, in the elims.  

The Rising Suns, meanwhile, beefed up their roster by acquiring the high-scoring Michael Juico and rugged guard Abel Galliguez.