EVEN though all the odds are stacked against them, the Cebu City Sharks will go deep into enemy territory and hopefully score a huge upset against the South Division’s best - the Davao Occidental Tigers.

The Sharks and the Tigers face off in Game 1 of the South Division quarterfinals of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup in Davao City.

“The mindset is not to give up,” said Omega Pro Sports International (OPSI) vice president Jerome Calatrava. “Everybody needs to step up and be on playoff mode.”

Cebu City, the eighth seed, comes, in as a huge underdog against the No. 1 ranked Davao Occidental, which has a stacked roster that includes former pros.

The Sharks also lost their leading scorer and lone All-Star Patrick Cabahug over the weekend.

Cabahug, a former University of the Visayas (UV) player, suffered an ankle sprain in a tune-up match with the University of the East Red Warriors. He’ll miss the first round of the playoffs.

“He was advised to rest for two weeks. So there’s no chance of him playing in the first round,” said Calatrava. “Thankfully, it’s nothing serious.”

Cabahug is the lone Shark who has a double-digit average in scoring with 15.26 points per game along with 4.65 rebounds and 2.13 assists per game.

With his absence, Will McAloney, Rhaffy Octobre, Edrian Lao and Jaybie Mantilla are expected to step up. Davao Occidental will mostly rely on former pros Leo Najorda, Mark Yee, Bonbon Custudio and Billy Robles.

In the only meeting of both teams, Davao Occidental beat Cebu City, 71-64. Robles led the Tigers with 14 points, while it was Cabahug who led Cebu City with 14. (EKA)