M. Lhuillier seeks fifth win in MVBA: Hosts Bacolod's WNC Mustangs today at Cebu Coliseum

League front-runner M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu City Jewelers shoot for their fifth straight win as they host reigning National Students champion West Negros College Mustangs of Bacolod City at 5:30 pm today in the ML Kwarta Padala Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) First Conference at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Jewelers of businessman/sportsman Michel Lhuillier and coach Raul "Yayoy" Alcoseba are fresh from a 15-point rout of the Iloilo Warriors to fortify their hold of the solo lead with a 4-0 slate in the tournament also backed up by Cokaliong Shipping Lines, Nature's Spring Drinking Water, Molten, Panasonic, and Sulpicio Lines.

The Jewelers' four-game winning streak is attributed to the excellent showing of Woodrow Enriquez (14.8 ppg), Jayford Rodriguez (12.8 ppg), Mike Manigo (12.8 ppg), Stephen Padilla (12.3 ppg) and Enrico Llanto (11.3 ppg).

The Jewelers, however, must not be too confident as the visiting WNC Mustangs of coach Rico Perez will conjure all the strength they could muster to shatter M. Lhuillier's invincibility at home.

For them to do that, the Mustangs have a tough puzzle to solve as the Jewelers are a formidable squad that boasts of a powerful post-up players and vaunted backcourt operators who are all capable of sowing terror from the outside.

Over in Iligan City, host Iligan of Mayor Lawrence Cruz takes on the visiting PacMan-GenSan of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao at the MSU-IIT Gym starting at 5:30 pm in a match that will determine the number one team in the Mindanao Division.

With a 6-1 win-loss card, Iligan City enjoys a one-game lead over the 5-2 PacMan quintet.

However, PacMan has the extra task of prevailing over Iligan by more than 10 points in order to claim the top division spot in the tournament.

Iligan trounced PacMan in their first encounter, 89-80, last March 17 at the Lagao Gym in General Santos City.

Expect a shootout as both sides boasts of having four twin digit scorers. Iligan has the luxury of having the top three scorers of the Mindanao Division in Alex Bognot (18.0 ppg), Marvin Tundag (17.5 ppg) and Erickson Araman (16.0 ppg). Not far behind is Aries Gloria (13.5 ppg), no wonder Iligan is MVBA's best offensive team an output of 92.3 ppg.

PacMan coach Ramon Pido will counter with his own quartet of Louie Medalla (13.6 ppg), Apol Coronado (12.9 ppg), Donald Tadena (12.6 ppg) and Jaypee Locsin (11.7 ppg). However, Coach Pido will turn to defense as their main weapon, with PacMan giving up an MVBA-low 79.7 ppg.