Nueva Ecija pursues bid vs old rival San Juan

MANILA, Philippines — Reigning champion Nueva Ecija shifts its title defense tour to higher gear when it tangles with a familiar foe in San Juan in Game 1 of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) North Division semifinals at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Game time is at 6 p.m., before the duel between No. 1 Pampanga and No. 4 Caloocan in the other pairing at 8 p.m., with the Rice Vanguards eyeing a headstart in the quick best-of-three semis series.

Seeded No. 2 after a strong showing in the elims, the Rice Vanguards took care of business against No. 7 Pasay, 2-0, in the quarterfinals for a good momentum versus No. 6 San Juan in a rematch of their division finals duel last year.

Nueva Ecija, which then swept the elims with an absurd 21-0 record, subdued San Juan, 2-1, to advance to the national finals and eventually won it all against Zamboanga, 3-1.

This time, the Rice Vanguards brace for a tougher duel.

“Sabi ko sa team, they have to play and prepare harder. Sa tingin ko, mas malakas itong San Juan na to kaysa sa San Juan na unang nakalaban namin. We cannot take them for granted,” said Nueva Ecija team owner Bong Cuevas of the Knights, who scored a stunning 2-0 sweep of the third-seeded Makati.

Cuevas believes holding the fort against San Juan as the pressure to defend the crown mounts is not easy. At the same time, Cuevas has high hopes on his wards under coach Jerson Cabiltes.

After all, they’re the defending champions for a reason, well-equipped with experience, maturity and poise.

“The expectations are very high for the team to defend the crown. It’s an expectation that we always knew umpisa pa lang. Nueva Ecija is a veteran team. If ever merong team who will be able to handle the pressure, it’s this team,” said Cuevas.

“The only thing that will make the difference is gaano ka-desidido na depensahan ang korona.”

Spearheading Nueva Ecija’s march are Chris Bitoon, Michael Mabulac, Byron Villarias, Roi Sumang, Renz Palma and Michael Juico with Orlan Wamar, Michael Calisaan, Zach Huang, AC Soberano and Adrian Nocum of San Juan standing in their way.