Cagayan eyes share of lead vs Big Chill

BUOYED by a big win, Cagayan Valley shoots for a piece of the lead against unpredictable Big Chill today in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Rising Suns go for a fourth straight victory at 12 noon brimming with confidence after dealing erstwhile leader Fruitas its first loss last week.

“The team is running well and the boys’ confidence is high,” said Rising Suns coach Alvin Pua. “But we expect a very tight game against Big Chill because they just came from a loss.”

Cebuana Lhuillier seeks a fourth triumph versus winless Informatics at 2 p.m., while Boracay Rum aims for the same goal against league newcomer Hog’s Breath at 4 p.m.

After dropping their first game, the Rising Suns picked up three straight wins behind Eliud Poligrates, Chris Exciminiano and Mark Bringas. Another victory will put them on top with idle Blackwater Sports and Café France.

Poligrates, the Cebuano guard who had an impressive debut last conference, came out with his most impressive game yet last Thursday, knocking in a career-high 29 points in the Risings Suns’ 80-74 triumph over the Shakers.

“Poli has already matured,” said Pua. “He’s very confident with his game. He made all his defenders a shooting target.”

The Gems (3-2) and the Waves (3-3) try to stay in the upper half of the standings as the eliminations reach the halfway mark.

Bannered by Alvin Padilla and Gab Banal, the Gems get going fresh from their 84-62 rout of Hog’s Breath last week, while the Waves try to bounce back from a blowout loss to surging defending champion NLEX, 106-84.