Slashers clinch Southern crown

Reuben dela Rosa finally rose to the occasion and combined with Cid White, Reynel Hugnatan and Leo Bat-og as the Negros Slashers finished off the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems, 107-91, last night and clinched the MBA Southern Conference crown in Bacolod City.

Dela Rosa, silenced in the first four games of the series, cut loose with 17 points while White, Hugnatan and Bat-og filled in the space created by an ailing John Ferriols as the Slashers wrapped up the best-of-five affair, 3-2.

The victory sent the Slashers into the national final against the LBC Batangas Blades, who defeated the San Juan Knights for the Northern Conference crown, 3-1. The best-of-five series between the Slashers and the Blades will start on Wednesday in Lipa City.

Ferriols, the 1998 MVP, was never a factor in the game, finishing with only six points as he played with a sprained right ankle. But this hardly mattered as White, Hugnatan and Bat-og combined for 34 points.

After Cebu’s Homer Se followed up Peter Naron’s miss for the game’s first basket, the Slashers went on a rampage and found themselves enjoying a 34-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. They were up 58-37 at the half and 79-56 after entering the fourth period.

The Slashers took their biggest lead at 23 points twice and were safely ahead at 86-67 with only six minutes left when a technical foul on Cebu’s Melvin Taguines and a heated exchange of words between Naron and Bat-og halted play for some time.

It was the third conference crown for the Slashers who also won in 1998 and last year. They lost the series opener and won the next two games before dropping the fourth game, leading to the decisive fifth game, which was delayed two days because of Typhoon Quedan.

White wound up with 18 points on top of nine rebounds, two assists and two steals while the ever-reliable John Cardel also had 18 points.