Warriors, Elite try to arrange title clash

Games today (Ynares Arena)

2 p.m. – Blackwater Sports vs Big Chill

4 p.m. – Hog’s Breath Café vs NLEX

MANILA, Philippines - NLEX and Blackwater Sports go for a repeat over their respective Final Four rivals today as they seek to seal a showdown for the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup crown at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.

The Road Warriors and the Elite fashioned out a pair of lopsided victories over the Hog’s Breath Café Razorbacks, 99-74, and the Big Chill Superchargers, 84-72, at the start of their best-of-three series to inch closer to a dream title clash.

“We want to finish (the series). We don’t want to delay our goal,” said Blackwater Sports coach Leo Isaac.

Jericho Cruz dished out top form and Bacon Austria came off the bench to fire clutch baskets as the sixth-seeded Elite dominated the second seeded Superchargers in the second quarter to seize control.

But Isaac said he expects Big Chill to make adjustments and come out strong in their 2 p.m. encounter.

“But we’ll be ready,” said Isaac.

NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez also expects Hog’s Breath Café to bounce back in their 4 p.m. duel.

“We just caught them (Hog’s Breath Café) in their off night. They missed a lot of three-point attempts and also shot poorly from the free throw line. Hopefully we could build on this (Game 1) victory,” said Fernandez.

Garvo Lanete missed the Road Warriors’ last two games in the elims with a shoulder injury but returned to fire a game-high 23 points while Jake Pascual added 11 markers and 11 rebounds for the defending champions.

“But it ain’t over till it’s over. We have one more game to win,” said Fernandez.

Hog’s Breath coach Caloy Garcia readily admitted his chargers struggled in the opener but vowed to bounce back strong in Game 2. 

NLEX and Blackwater Sports figured in the 2013 Foundation Cup Finals with the Elite eventually clinching the title to snap the Road Warriors championship streak at four.

Meanwhile, PBA commissioner Chito Salud slapped Cagayan Valley utility staff Bernard Santos a 10-game suspension for his racial slur on NLEX center Ola Adeogun during the Rising Suns-Road Warriors game last Jan. 28.

Santos was caught on video while waving banana and acting like gorilla to the NLEX Nigerian center. His action drew protest from NLEX team management.

“Whether out of malice or ignorance, the act of waving a banana while carrying out motions akin to an animal, is decidedly racially derogatory and pejorative. Such act and other acts that are racially colored will be dealt with as sternly as possible by this league,” Salud said in his letter to Santos.