DEFENDING two-time champion EcoOil-La Salle and Centro Escolar University are keen on closing in on a title showdown today.
“It’s an opportunity for us to play and learn,” Green Archers deputy coach Gian Nazario said. “We’ll take it.”
“Hopefully, magpick-up pa iyong steam namin. Basta gawin lang naming iyong kailangan naming gawin,” said Scorpions tactician Jeff Perlas.
Whether the two squads will rise to the occasion will be known when they take on separate opponents as the quarterfinals of the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup kick off at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The game is set at 4:30 p.m. in the best-of-3 duel that will be followed by the match pitting CEU and Marinerong Pilipino-San Beda University, also a race-to-2 series, in the nightcap at 7:30.
Both armed with a win-once incentives, EcoOil-La Salle and the Scorpions are favored to draw first blood in the short series after showing the way in the eliminations to clinch outright semis berths while their counterparts needed to go through the quarterfinals last Monday.
The Archers clobbered the Saints 90-63 while CEU stunned the Red Lions 72-63 in their eliminations games.
Both expect tougher battles in an entirely different Last Four phase.
Standing in their way are the determined Red Lions and Saints, riding on the momentum of their big quarterfinal wins in a bid to flip the script against their fancied rivals.
