Take out a couple of star players and the NLEX Road Warriors still look very much like a champion team.
That’s how much talent and depth the Road Warriors have that even Freego Jeans coach Leo Austria said in jest that for most teams, the rest of the field was fighting for crumbs.
It didn’t take long for NLEX to flash its usual brand of firepower.
Chris Ellis scored half of his team-high 20 points in the pivotal third quarter as NLEX sweated out an 89-75 triumph over Freego Jeans to seize its back-to-back PBA D-League crown Tuesday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
With defending champion NLEX made up of high-caliber players headed by college stars RR Garcia and Calvin Abueva, slotman Ian Sangalang sometimes may get overlooked.
Their lone meeting this season resulted into a rout.
Flashing its vaunted firepower, NLEX came out charging from the get-go and crushed Big Chill, 89-60, Tuesday to claim the last title berth in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Reminiscent of their hard-earned Game 2 triumph, fancied NLEX once again roared to a fast start and built a commanding lead over Big Chill at the half.
NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez hopes his top-seeded Road Warriors won’t put to waste their near-perfect run in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
Big Chill and Freego Jeans vie to complete a semifinal sweep of their fancied opponents and arrange what had seemed as an improbable championship showdown.
Big Chill and Freego Jeans proved they weren’t mere lucky the first time.
A hot streak hasn’t made NLEX any more confident in the semifinals as the Road Warriors go up against the lone squad that beat them in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
Ferocious on both ends, Freego Jeans and Big Chill clinched semifinal berths with a game to spare following lopsided victories Thursday in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena.
Virtually out of contention last week, Blackwater made the most out of its second chance in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
