Gems invade North, battle Lakers today

The Cebuana Lhuillier Gems have proven themselves in the south. Now, it’s time to make their mark in the north.

On a five-game roll, the Gems begin their Luzon sojourn today when they tackle the FedEx Laguna Lakers at the San Luis Sports Complex in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

After dropping its first game to Negros, Cebuana Lhuillier bested Andok’s San Juan and LBC Batangas before exacting revenge over Negros and sharing top spot at 5-1.

Now, only the Lakers stand in the way of the Gems from being certified title contenders. And brushing aside the Lakers won’t be easy.

Though the Lakers have won only once in three games, they bared their capability with a 109-89 victory over the Socsargen Marlins last Sunday.

Jeffrey Flowers, who had a monstrous 41-point, 24-rebound output against the Marlins, will again spearhead the Lakers with fellow Fil-Am Chris Clay, who’s averaging 25.3 points and a team-best 4.3 assists per game.

Still, the Lakers of coach Bonnie Garcia need an explosive game from Biboy Simon, the league’s scoring king in 1998, for them to neutralize the Gems’ edge in firepower.

Led by Matthew Mitchell’s 22.3-point per game average, the Gems are norming 107.8 points an outing, a fraction behind the Knights’ 108 average. – Joey Villar