DEFENDING champion Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards will not take any chances as they make a push for back-to-back championships in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Season 5.

In fact, Nueva Ecija team owner Bong Cuevas reminded the Rice Vanguards to keep their focus and continue to play well whether or not they are playing at home.

With a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three quarterfinal series, Nueva Ecija takes the first of two chances to advance to the semifinal round when they meet the Pasay Voyagers at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Game time is 6 p.m. with the Jerson Cabiltes-mentored Rice Vanguards favored to repeat their 85-81 victory over Pasay in the opener at the Nueva Ecija Coliseum last Oct.9.

“We’re not taking any team for granted. We always remind our players to continue to play hard and keep their focus on our objective,” said Cuevas when asked about the team’s game against Pasay.

“Our management and coaching staff have been unwavering in their support to the team. We all know that our fan base has more than doubled, so we need to reciprocate the support shown by the Novo Ecijanos,” added Cuevas.

Last Oct. 9, Nueva Ecija played hard enough to eke out an 85-81 victory over Pasay to the delight of a big home crowd in Palayan City.

Chris Bitoon, Michael Mabulac, and Renz Palma led the scoring parade for the Rice Vanguards.

Bitoon finished with 18 points, Mabulac added 16 points and Palma contributed 14 points.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya