PMI, SACRED HEART CLASH FOR FINAL FOUR'S LAST SEAT

PMI, SACRED HEART CLASH FOR FINAL FOUR'S LAST SEAT Winner takes the fourth seed outright; loser's season ends Saturday at Dao

TAGBILARAN CITY — The PMI Loboc Riverhawks and the Sacred Heart Academy Flaming Warriors meet Saturday at the Dao Basketball Court with the last playoff berth in the SanoHoops Inter-High Developmental League on the line.

Tip-off is at 3 p.m. in the closing game of the elimination round.

PMI (3-2) clinches the fourth seed with a win. Sacred Heart (2-3) must win to pull level at 3-3 and take the seat on the head-to-head tiebreaker. The loser is eliminated.

It is the only pairing the round robin has not staged. The Riverhawks and Flaming Warriors were the last two teams left without a common date, and the fixture landed on the final gameday with both seasons attached to it.

PMI carries the league's third-ranked player in John Cris Linguete, who averages 13.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 steals and has twice been named Player of the Game. His 17.0 efficiency rating is second only to Holy Cross Academy's Rex Christian Estose. John Kirby Gayawon adds 6.6 rebounds, third in the league.

The Riverhawks are coming off a 60-35 win over the Greatminds Knights B on Sept. 20, holding the Knights to the lowest point total of the elimination round. Both PMI defeats have come against teams above them in the standings.

Sacred Heart split its last two, routing Holy Cross Academy Warriors B 89-51 on Sept. 19 before falling to Holy Cross Warriors A 63-48 the following day.

Ruiz Laurence Salomon leads the Flaming Warriors at 3.8 steals per game, third in the league, while Niño Jay Dospueblos averages 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Pantinos shoots 45.5 percent from three-point range, second-best in the tournament.

The Flaming Warriors are the designated home team.

Two other games precede it. The Greatminds Knights A, 5-0 and already assured of the top seed, face the Knights B at 12 p.m., while Holy Cross Warriors A meet Warriors B at 1:30 p.m. with second seeding in play. The St. Vincent Institute Ferrerians (4-2) are idle and already qualified.

The semifinals follow, with higher seeds holding a twice-to-beat advantage.