Resurgent Blackwater battles Cagayan, eyes 4th straight
MANILA, Philippines — After finding the right rhythm, Blackwater Sports aims to stretch its winning streak to four in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup Monday at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
The defending champion Elite, who recovered from an uncharacteristic 0-2 start, tackle Cagayan Valley in the 2 p.m. match in a bid to grab a share of third spot.
“We’ll see how far this streak will bring us,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac. “So far, we’re doing alright.”
Big Chill, also hoping to overcome an erratic start, targets a fourth triumph against winless Derulo Accelero at 12 noon.
The Superchargers, still inside the top six with a 3-3 record, arrested a three-game slide last Thursday with a 68-54 thumping of Cafe France.
“Hopefully, the win will help boost our confidence,” a relieved coach Robert Sison said after his Superchargers, the runner-up last conference, ended the unexpected skid.
Only the top six teams will advance to the playoffs, where the top two at the end of the single-round eliminations will earn outright semifinal berths.
The third- and fourth-ranked teams will hold a twice-to-beat advantage over the next two teams in the quarterfinals.
“We’ll just enjoy the ride and try to get going,” said Isaac, who is banking on Reil Cervantes, Jericho Cruz, Kevin Ferrer and Allan Mangahas.
An Elite win will put them in a tie with Jumbo Plastic, which lies behind idle leaders NLEX (7-0) and Cebuana Lhuillier (5-1).
The Rising Suns have so far found no relief in their revamped lineup and are in danger of missing the playoffs with a 2-4 card, while the Oilers are virtually out of contention with a 0-6 slate.
