Giants, Razorbacks go for semifinals berths

MANILA, Philippines – Jumbo Plastic and Hog’s Breath may own a twice-to-beat advantage against their respective quarterfinals opponents but both teams certainly don’t have any plans of needing two games to make the semifinals.

Not when they’re going up against teams capable of pulling off upsets.

“That’s our goal. We don’t want a knockout game,” said Jumbo Plastic assistant coach Joel Dualan, whose team faces last conference’s champion Blackwater Sports to kick off a pair of PBA D-League Aspirants Cup quarterfinals matches Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Jumbo Plastic nipped Blackwater, 79-72, in overtime in the elimination round and that’s enough indication for the Giants not to give the Elite an inch in Game 1.

“If that happens, momentum will be on Blackwater’s side,” said Dualan, wary of the importance of closing out the Elite in the opener.

With a slew of big men led by ex-PBA player Jason Ballesteros, the Giants are confident of their chances.

“Blackwater is not a high-scoring team so matching up won’t really be a problem.”

The Elite aren’t concerned too especially when they almost beat the Giants in their first encounter.

“We almost had them in our first meeting until (Harold) Arboleda made a three-point shot late in the game to force overtime,” Blackwater head coach Leo Isaac said. “Our backs may be against the wall but I like our chances because our fate is in our hands.”

Riding high on their blowout win over semifinals-bound Big Chill, Hog’s Breath hopes to repeat over Cagayan Valley in the other quarterfinals match.

The Razorbacks beat the Rising Suns, 82-78, in the eliminations but it promises to be different when both teams meet again with the Suns able to make last-minute acquisitions to beef up their roster.

Looking to make one last push, Cagayan Valley has added guards Michale Juico, an explosive scorer, and Abel Galliguez, who both played for also-ran Wangs Basketball.

“We have to be mentally focused,” said Hog’s Breath coach Caloy Garcia, who also serves as assistant coach for Rain or Shine in the PBA.