ONLY the strong will survive as both the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup semifinals series head to Game Threes on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
EcoOil-La Salle and Adalem Construction-St. Clare joust at 11 a.m., while Marinerong Pilipino and Apex Fuel-San Sebastian collide at 1 p.m.
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The Saints scored a 72-64 win in Game Two over the Green Archers behind the hot shooting of Johnsherick Estrada and Joshua Fontanilla.
"Gusto namin laging manalo kaya kahit mahirap, gagawa at gagawa kami ng way," said coach Jinino Manansala.
EcoOil-La Salle, however, remains the favorite as the No. 2 seed driven to bounce back behind the frontline combo of Kevin Quiambao and Michael Phillips.
Coach Derick Pumaren's eyes expects big bounce back games from Schonny Winston and Evan Nelle, saying "We can't be complacent. We have to respect St. Clare because they're still a champion team."
Meanwhile, the Skippers failed to close out the best-of-three series despite Jollo Go's 28-point night and Juan Gomez de Liano's near-triple-double effort, which makes this game a put up-or-shut up time for their side.
It's the challenge that coach Yong Garcia has laid out for his side as Marinerong Pilipino will be hardpressed to prove that its position as a top contender before the season is no hype as he said: "Kailangan naming kunin. Hindi naman naipapanalo yung championship sa papel so kailangan naming patunayan yung inaasahan ng mga tao sa amin."
Apex Fuel-San Sebastian coach Egay Macaraya is anticipating a big fightback from Marinerong Pilipino as he once again relies on Ichie Altamirano and Romel Calahat.
"Knowing coach Yong, I know there will be a lot of adjustments. So I hope we could rest and recover sa lahat ng nangyari," he said.
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