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DEFENDING champion Harbour Centre and Hapee Toothpaste, finalists in
the last conference, try to stretch their winning streaks to three
Tuesday when they collide against separate rivals in the 2008 PBL
Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Hoping to extend its record championship run to
five this conference, Harbour Centre collides with the league’s
heartbreak kid— Bacchus Energy Drink—at 2 p.m. to kick off
another exciting triple bill.
On Saturday, the Bacchus Raiders appeared headed
for a big win over Hapee Toothpaste but the 6-foot-4 Mark Borboran
buried a triple with only four ticks left that helped Hapee win the
match, 85-83.
The Raiders also dropped a stinging 86-83 loss
to Pharex last week that put to waste their stirring comeback from
as much as 15 points. In the last conference, Bacchus lost its first
eight games before scoring a stunning win over Toyota Otis.
Hapee Toothpaste, still without Reed Juntilla—the
team’s “problem child”—takes on Nokia Philippine Youth
team at 6 p.m. while Burger King also guns for a third straight win
against still-winless Toyota Otis at 4 p.m.
Harbour and Hapee are currently locked in a
three-way tie for the lead with Pharex which scored a stunning 98-78
win over the fancied Toyota Otis on Saturday.
Juntilla, considered by many as the most
explosive Cebuano player in the amateur ranks, is badly needed by
the team since rookie center Jervy Cruz—the reigning UAAP MVP—is
still trying to adjust to the system of coach Louie Alas.
Without him, Gabe Norwood is forced to double
his effort on the offensive end.
With Jason Castro, Beau Belga and Jerwin Gaco at
the firing end of the team’s onslaught, the Batang Pier demolished
Noosa Shoes, 79-48, for the league’s biggest winning margin so
far.
“I have in the team some of the best players
in the league right, but for us to win we have to distribute the
ball well,” Harbour Centre coach Jorge Gallent said.
“We’re doing that slowly but surely.”
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