Jumbo, Kera Mix eye last 2 QF slots

Jumbo Plastic and Kera Mix shoot for the last quarterfinal spots when they collide against separate rivals at the end of the elimination round of the PBA D-League Foundation Cup today at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Giants need a victory over the MP Hotel Warriors in the 1 p.m. clash while Kera Mix has the same goal against Tanduay Light at 3 p.m.

Jumbo Plastic and Kera Mix are tied with similar 4-4 records. Tanduay is still in contention at 3-5 while MP Hotel is out of it at 1-7.

A win by the Giants will set the stage for a virtual knockout match between Kera Mix and Tanduay Light. If the Giants lose, they can still make the next round as long as the Mixers beat the Rhum Masters.

“It’s make or break for us. Hopefully, we can continue playing aggressive,” said Jumbo Plastic coach Stevenson Tiu after their 87-66 victory against tailender Liver Marin (1-8) last week.

AMA University will be  a keen observer in both games with the Titans hoping that the Giants lose to the Warriors and the Rhum Masters beat the Mixers. In this case, the Titans and Rhum Masters will advance to the quarterfinals as fifth and sixth seeds.

“It’s very improbable,” said Tanduay coach Lawrence Chongson of their quarterfinal chances. “But you can never tell. We’ll just go out there and try to win and see what happens.”

Cebuana Lhuillier and Cafe France have earlier clinched the two automatic semifinal seats while Cagayan Valley and Hapee Toothpaste advanced to the quarterfinals as third and fourth seeds, respectively.