D-LEAGUE: HAPEE, SANS RED LIONS, HOPING TO KEEP SLATE CLEAN
Off to a good start, Hapee tries to continue its winning streak when the Fresh Fighters face the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems on Thursday in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the TIP Gym in Manila.
The Fresh Fighters are off to a 4-0 start and currently tied for the lead with the idle Cagayan Valley Rising Suns, the only other unbeaten team in the conference.
They are fresh and well-rested after a nine-day break following their 67-52 win over Bread Story-LPU last week. But they will be severely depleted coming into their 2 p.m. match-up against the rejuvenated Gems.
Hapee will be without the San Beda core of Ola Adeogun, Baser Amer, Art dela Cruz, Ryusei Koga, Jaypee Mendoza and Micholo Sorela, who are committed to play for their school in the finals of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League later in the day.
Bobby Ray Parks is the most consistent scorer among the Fresh Fighters, averaging 13 points per game. But he will need a lot of help from his teammates, particularly from Garvo Lanete, Troy Rosario, Scottie Thompson and Kirk Long if the Fresh Fighters intend to keep their unbeaten record.
For some good measure, Hapee tops the conference in defense with its 58 points allowed per game while holding opponents to just 31 rebounds an outing in four games.
“This is a big test for the team. Let’s face it, (Hapee) is actually the same NLEX team. Just look at the players. They are the same players who played for NLEX last year,” observed Cebuana Lhuillier coach Boyzie Zamar.
The Gems (2-2) are coming off a 77-57 rout of the Tanduay Light Rhum Masters last week that snapped a two-game slump.
“This (win) is a big boost to the players’ confidence. Hopefully we could build on this,” Zamar said.
In the other game, Café France battles skidding Tanduay Light at 4 o’clock.
The Bakers are looking to bounce back from an 84-89 double overtime loss against the Rising Suns last week that snapped their 3-0 start.
In contrast, the Rhum Masters (1-3) are trying to avoid losing four straight and hurt their bid to make the cut for the playoffs.
For the second straight game, assistant coaches Jack Santiago and Estong Balleteros will call the shots for the team because head coach Lawrence Chongson is still in the US for a business engagement.
The top two teams at the end of the elimination round will advance to the semifinals outright. The next four placers will advance to the quarterfinals with the 3rd and 4th placed teams enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage.
The bottom six teams will be eliminated. (DBC)
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