BIG CHILL and Hog’s Breath Cafe try to keep the top two spots in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup when they take on separate opponents today at Trinity University of Asia gym in Quezon City.
The Superchargers, who grabbed the solo lead (8-1) last Thursday, aim for a ninth win against skidding Zambales M-Builders at 2 p.m.
The Razorbacks (7-1) try to bounce from their first loss against Cafe France in their 4 p.m. duel.
As the single round-robin elimination crosses past the halfway mark, Big Chill coach Robert Sison keeps reminding his wards to sustain their aggressive form.
The format calls for more than half of the 14-team field to be eliminated after one round with the top two teams earning outright semifinal berths while the next four will slug it out in the quarterfinals.
“We’re not thinking about the playoffs, but we’re definitely treating our remaining assignments like a playoff game also,” said Sison.
Last Thursday, the Superchargers surprisingly cruised past Cagayan Valley, 89-75, in a game that was predicted to be tight.
Brian Heruela, a burly guard from Cebu, has been a revelation for the Superchargers as he posted his third double-double this conference with 13 points and 10 assists against the Rising Suns.
Jeckster Apinan, Reil Cervantes and Janus Lozada have also been stepping up for the Superchargers, who will head into the match favored over the Builders (2-6).
The Razorbacks, meanwhile, saw their seven-game winning streak snapped by Jumbo Plastic, 87-70, and yielded top spot to the Superchargers.
“This is a huge break for us,” said Sison. “But we have to do our part and that is to try to win our remaining games.”
The Bakers improved to 6-3 following a 64-43 rout of Wangs Basketball.