THE Che’Lu Bar & Grill-San Sebastian Revellers are determined to get back on the winning track in the aftermath of Monday’s frustrating loss to Wang’s Basketball-Letran in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League Aspirants Cup.
But that may be easier said than done.
Up next for the Revellers on Thursday are the AMA Online Education Titans, a team just as determined to break into the win column after starting their campaign with back-to-back defeats.
“We want to come back strong after that sorry loss against Wangs. We learned that we should not be complacent even when we have a big lead,” offered Revellers Coach Stevenson Tiu.
That meant the Revellers, not even with their deep bench, could take the lowly Titans for granted.
Game time is set at 1 p.m.
Che’Lu Bar & Grill-San Sebastian (1-1) led by as many as 19 points against Wang’s Basketball-Letran but came up short and lost, 82-83.
“It’s a good wake-up call,” said Tiu, who urged his bench to step up and provide their leader, forward Mike Calisaan, the needed support.
The Titans, on the other hand, opened their campaign with consecutive losses making them a dangerous matchup for the Revellers.
AMA Coach Mark Herrera is counting on Michael Cañete, Philip Manalang and Andre Paras to carry the mantle for the Titans in their quest for a breakthrough win.
In the other games, Marinerong Pilipino tries to stop the bleeding when it takes on Batangas-Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) at 3 p.m. and Gamboa Coffee Mix-St. Claire eyes a second straight win against winless Mila’s Lechon at 5 o’clock.
Easily one the heavy favorites to contend for the title after its strong showing last conference, Marinerong Pilipino opened with a 94-92 victory against Zark’s Burger-Lyceum.
But stunning defeats to school-based Akari-Adamson University and Centro Escolar University cast doubts on the ability of the Skippers to make it to the title series.
Gamboa Coffee Mix-St. Claire, meanwhile, seeks a follow-up to its 104-81 conquest of Batangas-EAC last Monday to stay close behind early leaders Wang’s Basketball-Letran and Jose Rizal University, both with 2-0 records.