BLACKWATER Sports takes a third crack at the outright semifinal berth when it battles Hog’s Breath Cafe in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at 2 p.m. today at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
After dropping back-to-back games for the first time this conference, the Elite (7-3) hope to avoid a disappointing finish to their elimination run with a loss that could relegate them from a top two finish to the four-team quarterfinal battle.
Fruitas (6-3), which has a shot at dislodging the Elite from the No. 2 spot, also vies for a crucial win against Café France at 12 noon.
If Fruitas and Blackwater wound up tied at the end of the eliminations, the Shakers will clinch the Final Four slot due to the winner-over-the-other rule.
Only the top two teams will go straight to the semifinals, while the next four will square off in the quarterfinal round for the other two Final Four berths.
The Elite relinquished the top spot to NLEX (7-2) after a shock loss to Boracay Rum that came following a setback to defending champion Road Warriors.
“We need to win to get our winning form back just in time for the next level of competition,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac.
Although the Elite are favored against the eliminated Hog’s Breath (1-8), Isaac reminded his crew that they were also picked to win against Boracay Rum last week.
Blackwater veterans Gio Ciriacruz, Kevin Ferrer, Justin Chua and Rob Celiz all tallied double digits against the Waves, but couldn’t tow the Elite past their hot-shooting opponent.
The Shakers, meanwhile, hope to pick up their third straight triumph behind chief gunners Carlo Lastimosa and Pong Escobal.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Fruitas coach Nash Racela. “If we don’t make it [to the top two], we’ll be okay with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.”