Fancied Petron, F2 shoot for semifinal berths

Elite teams Petron and F2 Logistics shoot for semifinal slots with a single attempt on Saturday when they go up against separate lowly rivals at the start of the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix playoffs at Filoil Flying V Centre.

Armed with a twice-to-beat shields, the unbeaten Blaze Spikers and the Cargo Movers battle Sta. Lucia and Foton, respectively, with Petron taking the floor first at 4 p.m.

Second-ranked F2 tangles with Foton in the 6 p.m. game.

After a remarkable 14-game sweep, the Blaze Spikers are expected to impose their power against the Lifesavers as fans are clamoring for a 19-game sweep to their sixth conference title.

But Petron coach Shaq delos Santos remains modest of his team’s capability, saying their goal is the title and not a sweep.

“We want to defend the championship at any cost, but if an opportunity to sweep comes, we would also take it,” Delos Santos said. “For now, we have a game plan which is designed to maximize our chance for the title.”

F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus likewise downplayed their chances against the former champion Tornadoes.

“I must admit that I really don’t want to face Foton in the quarterfinals. Foton is a dangerous team. You can’t take them lightly.”

De Jesus cited the return of Jaja Santiago, Dindin Manabat and the arrival of Milagros Collar as import. They have given Foton back-to-back wins at the end of the eliminations.

Foton coach Aaron Velez said they would not go down without a fight despite suffering an 11-game tailspin.

“We really wanted to come up with a strong finish,” Velez said. “We feel that by winning our last couple of games, we will have the momentum going into the next round.”