Gems shoot for No. 5 vs Giants Monday

Cebuana Lhuillier seeks to tighten its grip of top spot when it collides with Jumbo Plastic Monday in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan even as Hapee and Cagayan Valley meet for the first time since their recent title duel in the Aspirants Cup.

The Gems, whose acquisition of Moala Tautuua and Jackson Corpuz boosted their firepower, are gunning for a fifth straight victory in the 3 p.m. duel with the Giants who are coming off a defeat to Cagayan Valley last week.

Wary of the Giants’ strength, Cebuana coach Boycie Zamar expects no letup from his charges.

“Anything can happen [in the D-League] so we have to improve every game,” Zamar said. “We can’t rely on talent. Yes, talent can win games. But team effort—meaning defense and offense—needs to be constant.”

The Giants are currently tied with Hapee, Cagayan Valley and AMA University in the middle of the pack with a 2-2 record.
Hapee and Cagayan tangle at 1 p.m.  Dominant in the Aspirants’ Cup, the Hapee Fresh Fighters have only shown glimpses of their old, championship form with key players like Ray Parks nursing injuries.  Cedelf P. Tupas