Dyip ready to compete with top seed Beermen

Juami Tiongson of Terrafirma will try to rally his team against powerhouse San Miguel in the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup on Saturday. PBA IMAGE

Terrafirma veteran star Juami Tiongson was first to admit that drawing top seed San Miguel Beer as their first round playoff opponent is no easy task, fully aware of the Beermen’s talent-stacked squad.

But the former Ateneo gunner believes he’s got teammates at Terrafirma who are “ready to compete” and hopefully, make their quarterfinals duel interesting.

“We’re playing against the best of the best but we’re all looking forward to it. I have competitive teammates who love to compete,” Tiongson told the Manila Times.

The Dyip secured the eighth and last playoff berth for the PBA Philippine Cup after outlasting the hardback NorthPort Batang Pier, 104-96, in their knockout game on Wednesday.

Tiongson, who averages 21.8 points and shoots 37.8 percent from three-point zone, is expected to get support from top rookie pick Stephen Holt, Javi Gomez de Liano and Isaac Go when the Dyip clash with the Beermen on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Dyip led by as many as 12 points against the star-studded Beermen during their only elimination round encounter on April 4.

But backup big man fueled San Miguel’s huge fourth-quarter comeback, en route to scoring 17 of his 24 points in that stretch to lead the defending champion to a pulsating 113-110 win.

Terrafirma coach John Cardel knows the gargantuan task the Dyip are facing in the quarterfinals since the Beermen enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage.

“Of course it’s going to be difficult. They’re all superstars. They have (June Mar) Fajardo, wings, shooters. Fifteen players, and anyone kcoach Jorge (Gallent) puts into the game, they can contribute,” said Cardel, whose team ended a 16-conference long playoff absence with its win against NorthPort.

Cardel will also be making his first playoff appearance as coach since he was appointed to succeed Ricky Dandan, who resigned after the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup.

The Dyip made their last playoff appearance in the 2016 Governors’ Cup when the team, then known as Mahindra Enforcers, was still being mentored by Chris Gavina and had James White as import.