BATANGAS-EAC fights for its survival in the 2018 PBA D-League Foundation Cup when it takes on league-leading Che’Lu Bar and Grill on Thursday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Sitting at 3-5, the Generals badly need a win in their 3 p.m. duel against the Revellers, and are hoping that Centro Escolar University (4-4) suffer a shock upset to AMA Online Education (0-8) in the first game at 1 p.m.
Coach Oliver Bunyi is hoping for career games from his veterans Michael Mabulac, Clark Bautista, and Cedric de Joya with Batangas-EAC’s chances slowly fading away.
But that looks like a tall mountain to scale for the Generals, especially after the two team’s first meeting ending in a 78-57 embarrassment last June 21.
Jeff Viernes and Chris Bitoon led the assault in that game and that won’t be that much different for this tiff.
This time, though, the Revellers have gained the confidence with their bigs Jessie Collado, JayR Taganas, and newcomer Levi Hernandez joining in the party, as seen in their 139-101 domination of AMA last week.
Still, coach Stevenson Tiu knows better not to underestimate any foe, saying, “Every team, may chance pa rin. Kaya hindi namin pwedeng ibaba yung guard namin. Nothing is sure yet.”
A victory for CEU and a defeat for Batangas-EAC locks in the four protagonists for the semifinals series, making the final two playdates a mere battle for positioning for the four teams remaining.
One thing’s sure, though, the Generals and the also-ran Titans won’t go away that easily.
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