No clear Cignal in championship showdown vs Racal

With no team enjoying a clear advantage, Cignal-San Beda and Racal begin their best-of-three championship series for the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup on Thursday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Hawkeyes and Tile Masters are hoping to make the most of their first appearance in the finals with squads that are no strangers to pressure-packed games.

“It’s too close to call,” said Racal coach Jerry Codiñera. “They’re a strong team with a lot of experienced players, the same with my lineup.”

Cignal boasts San Beda standouts who played key roles in the Red Lions’ romp to the NCAA crown last year, while Racal is made up of Arellano players who bowed to the Lions in the country’s oldest collegiate league.

The San Beda-Arellano rivalry is just one of the subplots to what is expected to be a pulsating series.

Still in search for a major crown in his budding coaching career, Codiñera, a PBA legend, will be up against Boyet Fernandez on the Cignal bench.

Fernandez has already won six D-League six titles.