Hapee five, Cagayan try to remain unscathed

Unbeaten in five games, Hapee and Cagayan Valley try to sustain their streak against separate foes today in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at Ynares Arena in Pasig City.

The Hapee Fresh Fighters, coming off a two-week respite, face Cafe France at 2 p.m. before the Rising Suns, on cloud nine following their record 120-77 demolition of MP Hotel, take on Racal Motors.

Cebuana Lhuillier (3-3) shoots for its second straight victory against Bread Story-LPU (2-4) in the opener of a three-game schedule.

Both Hapee and Cagayan are favored in their bid for an outright semifinal spot.

Hapee coach Ronnie Magsanoc, however, still sees his team as a work in progress.

“We still have a lot of work to put in to get us to the next level,” said Magsanoc. “Hopefully, we’ll get to our desired destination as we continue to improve. For now, we’re focused on getting our team chemistry better.”

They are in for a rough matchup against the Bakers, who own a 4-1 record.

The Rising Suns are coming off an inspiring performance against the Jumbo who registered a league record with their 43-point winning margin over the Warriors.

“If we continue playing this way, the wins will come,” said shooting guard Randy Dilay after his pivotal role in the second quarter where Cagayan Valley broke the game open.

Games will push through if weather permits as Metro Manila may experience heavy rains due to Typhoon “Ruby.”

A couple of weeks ago, the Fresh Fighters had a terrific outing even with just an eight-man squad.

Playing minus six varsity players who fulfilled school commitments, the Fresh Fighters still built double-digit leads on the way to a 72-66 triumph over Cebuana Lhuillier.