Lhuillier, Cafe France go for outright semis slots

Unbeaten Cebuana Lhuillier and Café France try to formalize their claim on the two outright semifinals berths as they take on Hapee and Jumbo Plastic, respectively, in a crucial twinbill in today’s PBA D-League Foundation Cup at The Arena in San Juan.

The Gems seek to move within a win of sweeping the 10-team elims as they battle the resurgent Fresh Fighters in their 12 noon encounter while the Bakers hope to close out their campaign on a winning note as they square off with the Giants in the 10 a.m. opener.

“Our modest goal is to make at least the semifinal of every conference. The players are well aware the prospect this conference looks good and they are excited about it. They know the possible complications and they are determined to get the job done,” said Café France coach Edgar Macaraya.

Café France can advance outright with a victory over Jumbo Plastic although Macaraya remains wary of his wards’ chances against a team in desperate of a win.

“This will be a tough game. Jumbo is still in contention and needs to win as badly as we do. The team who wants it more will win it,” said Macaraya.

The Giants snapped a two-game skid with a 79-78 win against AMA University last May 7 for a 3-3 card.

Meanwhile, Cebuana Lhuillier coach Boysie Zamar said their duel with the Fresh Fighters will be an acid test for them.

“Our last two games (against Hapee and Cagayan Valley) will be the real test for us. These games will allow us to determine the character of our team as we prepare for the playoffs,” said Zamar, who signed up ex-pro and long range shooter Roider Cabrera and former Hapee center Arnold Van Opstal to add depth to their already loaded roster.