Slashers powder Gems, near final

John Ferriols cashed in on the absence of Mat Mitchell and dominated the shaded area as Negros cruised to an easy 102-91 victory over arch rival Cebuana Lhuillier yesterday to move within a win of clinching the first finals berth in the first phase of the MBA league.

Defending champion Andoks San Juan likewise moved in the threshold of the finals although it had to do overcome a hostile crowd and a tough LBC Batangas squad to carve out a 94-82 triumph in the other semis contest in Lipa City.

The Knights, who trailed in the opening quarters before unleashing a big run the final period, go for the clincher tomorrow before their fans at the San Juan Gym.

The 6-foot-5 Ferriols frolicked inside the paint and came away with 27 points, powering the Slashers to a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three semifinal series at the University of St. La Salle gym in Bacolod City.

The Slashers try to wrap the series tomorrow at the New Cebu City Coliseum.

The deciding game, if possible, will be played in Bacolod Wednesday.

Catching the Slashers off-guard, the Gems led briefly, 61-59, but Ferriols pumped in 10 points in a big 15-6 Negros run that shoved the hosts to a 74-67 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Three straight triples, the first by Jomar Tierra and the last two by Patrick Benedicto, kept the Slashers on top, 84-72, but the Gems, behind Melvin Taguines and Roy Lura, countered to stay within striking distance at 86-92.

The Gems, however, failed to sustain their run midway in the fourth as they sorely missed the services of Mitchell, who’s still in the United States.