THEIR quest for a season title sweep within reach, the Cignal Hawkeyes return to the court today determined to get the job down.
Cignal battles Marinerong Pilipino in Game Two of their semifinal duel, set at 3 p.m. at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City, and the Hawkeyes are hell-bent on wrapping up the best-of-three series to secure a return trip to finals of the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League Foundation Cup.
The second-seed Hawkeyes won the season opener Aspirant’s Cup and are three wins away from adding the Foundation Cup to their trophy chest.
But don’t tell that to Cignal Coach Boyet Fernandez, who kept on downplaying their chances.
“Marinero is a tough team. It never gives up,” offered Fernandez in the aftermath of their 86-67 victory in Game One, which saw the Skippers rally from a 24-point deficit.
“It will be tough again facing them in Game Two because I’m pretty sure that Coach Koy [Banal] will make the necessary adjustments,” he added.
Raymar Jose, Jason Perkins and Pamboy Raymundo were the X-factors in Game One and Fernandez is keeping his fingers crossed that the trio will stay consistent.
Banal said the inability of his troop to match up with the Hawkeyes contributed to their demise in Game One.
“I asked the players if they really want to play, if they still have the desire to play in the semis. Clearly, we did not play to our potential in Game One. If we could match up well in Game Two we might have a chance,” Banal said.
The other semifinal series at 5 p.m. pits top-seed Flying V against Centro Escolar University (CEU). The Thunder lead the series 1-0.
Eric Altamirana, the unassuming Flying V coach, readily admitted that CEU’s game improved considerably in the semis.
“So we need to do a better job controlling the rebounds and blocking out their bigs. We hope we could again match their intensity,” Altamirano added.
Although they are on the brink of elimination, Banal stays positive.
“In basketball, nothing is impossible. We just have to deal with it and focus on the next game. This is a do-or-die for us,” he said. “We just have to come back stronger. We hope to give our best and play hard to force a Game Three.”