PBA-DL: Big Chill out to book return trip to the Finals, clashes with Air21 JRU in quarters

The Terrence Romeo-less Big Chill Superchargers hope to show that they still have enough firepower to make some noise in the PBA Developmental League postseason, while the upstart Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers try to crash the party, in the 4 versus 5 match-up of the 2012-13 Aspirants Cup quarterfinals.

Big Chill, which made it all the way to the Finals in the 2012 Foundation Cup before getting swept by the NLEX Road Warriors, boast of a twice-to-beat advantage, thanks to a higher seed.

Who are the Superchargers?

Projected starting-five:
Key reserves: Rodney Brondial, Jam Cortes, Alex Nuyles, Allan Santos, Mar Villahermosa

Last conference, Big Chill was built around the one-two punch of Fil-Ams Keith Jensen and Alex Mallari. Those two went on to get drafted in the PBA, so the Superchargers reloaded by bringing in a trio of UAAP standouts, Arvie Bringas, Ryan Buenafe, and Terrence Romeo.

However, the team was dealt a bad draw, as Romeo is now expected to miss at least the quarters and the semifinals, if the team gets that far, due to a hairline fracture in his hand.

That said, the team still has a few tricks up their sleeve. First is another collegiate star, former Adamson University Falcon Alex Nuyles, who saw action in Big Chill's last three elimination round games, after recovering from a shoulder injury in the UAAP. The second is 6'8" Fil-Am big man Isaac Holstein, who was on the Gilas roster during the Dubai Invitational Tournament. Should the two of them find minutes in the rotation, they could give Big Chill entirely new dimensions on offense, and surprise their opponents.



Who are the Heavy Bombers?

Projected starting-five:
Key reserves: Jeckster Apinan, Alex Almario, John Villarias, Michael Miranda, Nard Pinto

If Big Chill is built around UAAP talent, the Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers are an NCAA-powered roster, with only former UST Growling Tiger Khasim Mirza coming from the other collegiate league.

Despite players from schools like Mapua, San Sebastian, and Arellano in their line-up, in addition to their JRU core, this squad still plays like the Heavy Bombers do. Thanks to a deep roster, these guys force opponents into a league-high 20.7 turnovers, which they then convert into 18.4 turnover points, also the top mark in the PBA-DL. In fact, three of the top-10 steals artists in the league can be found on their roster.

[Related: Blackwater move up to second place, Air21 JRU forge three-way tie]

The wildcard on this squad is John Villarias though, who scored a D-League record 36 points against the Fruitas Shakers during the elimination round.


Previous encounter

Back on October 25, 2012, Big Chill wound up edging Air21 JRU by a solitary point, 77-76.

[Related: Jainamite lifts Fruitas past Cafe France; Big Chill wins]

With the game tied at 75-all, a split at the line by Air21 JRU big man Dexter Maiquez put his team up 76-75 with 18 seconds to go. The Superchargers went to Terrence Romeo for the win, but instead, his missed shot opened the door for reserve Mark Canlas to score the game-winning put-back.

Big Chill shot a scorching hot 8-of-20 from downtown, but Air21 JRU was better overall, making 42.3 percent of all their looks, compared to just 35.8 percent from the Superchargers.

The Heavy Bombers probably didn't anticipate such a big outing from Mark Canlas however, who scored 14 in just 18 minutes to lead his side. Terrence Romeo added 13 markers, and Janus Lozada scored 11. Air21 JRU on the other hand drew 19 from Dexter Maiquez, and 17 from Rocky Acidre, who has since transferred teams.


How do these two teams match-up?

The two teams are mirror-images of each other actually, with Air21 JRU specializing in forcing turnovers, which is the opposite of how the Superchargers operate. The latter squad is dead last in turnovers forced (12.3) and turnover points scored (10.3).

By the same token, Big Chill gives up the most three-point looks to opponents (22.7), but that might not come into play much against Air21, the squad that takes the fewest three-pointers (14.6).  

Instead, the biggest factor in this game will likely be how the Superchargers play minus Romeo. They won their final elimination round game without him, 76-71 against the Cafe France Bakers, but aside from the scoring he brings, Romeo is also an above-average ball-handler, something that will come in handy against the swipe-happy guards of Air21.

If the Heavy Bombers can play their game, and unsettle the likes of Jonathan Semira, Jelo Montecastro and Mac Montilla, it's not impossible for them to overcome their foes' twice-to-beat advantage. However, if the Superchargers adjust and use a wing player like Nuyles or Buenafe to help bring the ball down, or do it themselves, then Big Chill can pound it inside against the smaller Air21 frontline. - GMA News