Manila, Philippines – After a long holiday break, the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup resumes today with Hogs Breath Café hoping to snap a two-game losing streak when it battles dangerous Boracay Rum at the Arellano University gym in Manila.
The Razorbacks, who dropped their last two matches after winning their first seven games, must bring their zing back to their game if they want to beat the Waves in their 4 p.m. tussle and stay in the hunt for an outright semis berth.
Clashing in the opening game at 2 p.m. are Banco de Oro and Arellano University – two teams in dire need of a win to keep their flickering quarterfinal hopes alive.
Hog’s Breath Café ended the year that passed on a sour note following successive defeats to Jumbo Plastic (8-2) and CaféFrance (7-3).
Those losses pulled the Razorbacks down to No. 4 from No. 1 and allowed the surging Big Chill to grab the top spot.
The Waves, on the other hand, are coming off an inspiring 71-63 victory against the Arellano Chiefs last Dec. 5 followed by an 83-66 rout of Zambales M-Builders on Dec. 19 before the league took a holiday break.
With a 4-5 record, Boracay Rum’s chances of making the quarterfinals don’t look encouraging. But coach Lawrence Chongson isn’t giving up.
“We kept practicing even during the holidays to keep the guys in game shape. Right now we’re not looking at the wins and losses. We’ll just try to win as many games as we can and see what happens,” said Chongson.
The Bulldogs are the only winless team in the tournament with a 0-6 card. To make matters worse, their star player – Bobby Ray Parks Jr, is reportedly not coming back for the remainder of the team’s campaign.
But their chances look good against the Chiefs (1-6).
Man-for-man, the Bulldogs have more depth as compared to the Chiefs, who are also on a slump after losing their last six games.