THE BIG CHILL Superchargers stepped closer towards a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals after they beat the Café France Bakers, 76-71, in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup yesterday at the Arena in San Juan City.
In the second game, Pong Escobal made 20 of his 22 points in the final quarter as the Fruitas Shakers rallied to a 73-61 victory over Boracay Rum.
Escobal scored all of Fruitas’ points in a decisive 12-2 run, including 10 straight, that pushed the Shakers ahead, 65-57, from a 53-55 deficit in the final five minutes.
The Superchargers finished the round with a 6-4 (win-loss) mark, tying Cagayan Valley for third place. However, they await the result of Jose Rizal University’s final game before they learn of their fate. The NLEX Road Warriors and the Blackwater Sports have already secured the outright slots in the semifinals.
Big Chill will earn a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals if Cebuana Lhuillier defeats Jose Rizal University tomorrow at the Ynares Sports Arena.
If JRU wins, the Heavy Bombers will join Cagayan Valley and Big Chill in a three-way tie but the Superchargers will be relegated to fifth seed due to their lower quotient.
Ryan Buenafe and former University of San Jose-Recoletos guard Mar Villahermosa led the way for Big Chill with 14 markers each. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio