BLACKWATER Sports hopes to somehow soothe the pain of its semifinal loss last conference when it goes up against Cagayan Valley in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup on Monday at The Arena in San Juan.
The Elite face the Rising Suns at 4 p.m. in the third game of a tripleheader looking to take their second victory in as many outings.
Despite grabbing the outright semifinal seat in the last Aspirants Cup, the Elite bowed to a more determined Rising Suns squad in three games.
Blackwater Sports coach Leo Isaac is not taking Cagayan Valley lightly even though top center Raymond Almazan is no longer part of the Rising Suns’ line-up.
“Babawi kami pero sa ngayon, hindi ko pa rin masabi ’yung assessment sa line-up nila kahit wala si Almazan,” said Isaac.
Blackwater Sports had a 16-0 start and held off a late charge by Café France, 86-80, in its opening game of the conference, and Isaac notes the need for improvement after nearly squandering that big advantage.
“Marami pa kaming homework na dapat gawin,” said Isaac.
Undefeated teams Cebuana Lhuillier and Fruitas face off in the curtain-raiser at 12 p.m.
After missing the quarterfinals in the previous conference, the Gems had an impressive debut as they beat Boracay Rum, 68-66, last week.
Cebuana Lhuillier enters the first game of a tough two-game stand as it battles NLEX on Thursday and Beaujing Acot underscored the importance of the match against Fruitas.
“The first win is a realization na we all have to trust each other, and accept na we have to believe in the system and what we are doing,” said Acot.
In the 2 p.m. match, Big Chill looks to follow up its big win against NLEX when the Superchargers face winless Hogs Breath Café.
The Superchargers are coming off a morale-boosting 86-77 overtime win over defending champion NLEX last week.
The Razorbacks, on the other hand, absorbed a 52-81 defeat against Jumbo Plastic in their opening game.
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