Top squads Freego, Cebuana face separate D-League foes

MANILA, Philippines—Freego Jeans and Cebuana Lhuillier seek to keep top spots when they clash with separate rivals Thursday in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Adamson University gymnasium.

The Jeans Makers, sporting a 5-1 record, collide with dangerous Big Chill in the 4 p.m. game, after the Gems tangle with winless PC Gilmore.

The Gems go into the game against the Wizards confident after drubbing Big Chill, 81-65, last Monday.

Though they are coming off a shocking 62-78 loss to Dub Unlimited, the Jeans Makers expressed optimism they can handle the Superchargers now that most of the players are now focused on the D-League.

Hectic week
“The players have already recovered after that hectic week,” said Freego Jeans coach Leo Austria, whose squad is composed mostly of Adamson players who were also seeing action in the Collegiate Champions League last week.

“The players are aware that we need to win this game badly to make it to the semifinals outright.”

Resounding response
Austria is bracing for a resounding response from the Superchargers following that loss against the Gems.

“They have a lot of good shooters and dependable big men who are tough to match-up with. So we need to play smart,” Austria said.

Despite their 0-3 record, the Wizards won’t be easy picking for the Gems as far as Cebuana coach Luigi Trillo is concerned.

“You can’t underestimate this team (PC Gilmore),” Trillo said. “It’s difficult to be overconfident. A lot of teams have lost because they treat struggling teams lightly. That won’t happen to us. We will play them the way we play the other teams.”

Jai Reyes and Terrence Romeo will be at the heart of the Gems’ attack as the explosive guards have been instrumental in previous victories.

“Our guards play a significant role in our system. They have to be in control to ensure the balance of our triangle offense,” Trillo said.