Cafe France, Tanduay try to seal finals tussle

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MORE confident than ever, Cafe France and Tanduay look to complete an upset of the top two seeds in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup Tuesday.

“Hopefully, we can bring the same intensity next game,” said Cafe France coach Egay Macaraya.

The Bakers go for a title berth versus Phoenix at 4 p.m., while the Rhum Masters try to dispose of No. 1 Racal at 6 p.m. in a pair of do-or-die semifinals at Strike Gym in Bacoor, Cavite.

Although Tanduay coach Lawrence Chongson thinks his Rhum Masters can repeat their mastery of the Tile Masters, he wants his wards to be more prepared in clipping comeback attempts.

The Rhum Masters led by as many as 23 points before foiling the Tile Masters’ fourth-quarter rally, 88-86, in the Final Four opener last Thursday.

“We’re going against the No. 1 seed, so we know they won’t just fold up,” said Chongson, who will again lean on Gelo Alolino, Kevin Ferrer and Reden Celda.

The winner of the Tanduay-Racal series will advance to the Finals for the first time.

Racal mentor Caloy Garcia believes his Tile Masters can get back to their solid plays with Jonathan Grey and Philip Paniamogan at the helm.

“The only lesson to be learned is we can’t relax against Tanduay,” said Garcia.

The Cafe France-Phoenix series, likewise, can be anybody’s game as it features the battle between champions of the last two conferences.

“It’s a blessing that we have the twice-to-beat edge,” Phoenix coach Eric Gonzales said of his Accelerators, who gained the bonus along with the Tile Masters after topping the eliminations.

But the Bakers hope to overcome that advantage after repulsing the Accelerators, 78-68, in Game 1 behind Carl Bryan Cruz and Rod Ebondo.

“Our side will try our best to put up a good fight,” added Gonzales as the Accelerators go for another title run.