PBA-DL: NLEX mauls Air21 JRU, one away from fourth straight Finals trip

Even with a handful of injured players, the NLEX Road Warriors had no problem dispatching the AIr21 JRU Heavy Bombers in Game 1 of their best-of-three semifinals series. The powerhouse NLEX squad dominated from the get-go for an easy 105-85 victory, Tuesday at the Ynares Sports Arena. [Related: Rested NLEX Road Warriors take on upset-minded Air21 JRU] Nico Salva led a balanced attack for the Road Warriors with 17 points while Ian Sangalang added 14. All of the Road Warriors who had minutes in the game were able to contribute in the scoring department for the easy win, even if they were without the injured Ronald Pascual and Matthew Ganuelas. The Heavy Bombers were led by John Villarias with 21 points on a 6-of-10 shooting clip from three-point range, but most of his points were scored when the NLEX Road Warriors were already in complete control of the game. "We just have to be ready for whatever their adjustments will be," said a victorious coach Boyet Fernandez after the game. Even after a dominant Game 1 victory, he added that the team would not rest on their laurels, because JRU had proven that it could win out, even with a twice-to-win disadvantage, as shown in their quarterfinals series against the Big Chill Superchargers. [Related: Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers' artillery blasts Big Chill Superchargers out of the postseason] With NLEX leading 73-51 at the end of the third quarter, the Road Warriors made sure to finish off their opponents in the fourth quarter, with Garvo Lanete, Kevin Alas, and Eric Camson scoring six unanswered points. After Dexter Maiquez replied with an undergoal stab, Baser Amer buried the Heavy Bombers further with a rare four-point play, to build a whopping 83-53 lead. Villarias tried to keep things interesting with four straight three-point shots, but an Ateneo connection two-handed alley-oop slam by Greg Slaughter, off a Nico Salva pass snuffed any thoughts of a comeback from JRU. With the result of the game already decided, the two teams continued to play physically. RR Garcia was called for a technical foul for second motion. A free throw, a three point shot, and a short jumper from Paniamogan brought the NLEX lead down to a more respectable 17 points. The NLEX Road Warriors did not waste time in building a lead against the Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers, the surprise semifinalists for the PBA D-League Aspirant's Cup. Led by Ian Sangalang, the Road Warriors doubled the Heavy Bombers' output in the first quarter, which ended with a 26-13 count. The Road Warriors picked up right where they left off in the second quarter as Garvo Lanete and Oping Sumalinog scored on long shots. After Greg Slaughter added a free throw, Nico Salva joined the party by adding another basket. At that point, their lead had ballooned to 19 points at 34-13. JRU finally managed to score with 6:05 remaining in the second period. Anthony Del Rio added a lay-up in at the 2:43 mark, while Alex Almario scored another basket with 20 seconds remaining at the half. However, their scores were too few and too far apart to keep them in step with the rampaging Road Warriors. At the end of the second quarter, the NLEX Road Warriors had complete control of the game, leading 51-24. Ian Sangalang led all scorers at the half with 12, even if he only played nine minutes up to that point. All except one of the 12 players fielded in by NLEX head coach Boyet Fernandez managed to score. On the flipside, only six of the 13 players fielded in by JRU head coach Vergel Meneses contributed in the scoring department. NLEX made 52.9 percent of their field goals in the first half while JRU only managed a paltry 24.3 percent. Two free throws by Jake Pascual started the second half for the Road Warriors, stretching their lead further to 19, 53-24. After a free throw by JRU's Kenneth Ighalo, Pascual added a reverse lay-up to make it an even 20 point lead for the title favorites. JRU found the spark they were looking for in Nard Pinto, who scored back-to-back baskets. He also played tight defense on Borgie Hermida, which led to the Road Warrior committing an offensive foul. Ighalo scored a basket underneath with 5:58 remaining in the third to somehow cut the NLEX lead to 16. They Heavy Bombers attempted to speed up the game by applying ball pressure for the entire length of the court. They were able to get some stops but failed to convert their shots on the other end, preventing them from inching closer. Pinto remained the only bright spot for JRU as he scored again at the 3:25 mark. The problem was that his team still faced a 64-38 deficit. After a split from the free throw line by Jeckster Apinan, Michael Mabulac collared the rebound and converted a three-point play to cut the NLEX advantage to 20, 64-44. But just when the Heavy Bombers were starting to feel better about themselves, Kevin Alas buried them with a buzzer-beating three-point shot from about three steps away from the rainbow arc for a 70-47 count. NLEX big man Greg Slaughter piled it on, scoring with four seconds left in the third quarter but Apinan ran downcourt for a quick lay-up for a 73-51 Road Warriors cushion going into the fourth quarter. The second game is scheduled for Thursday, also at the Ynares Sports Arena. - AMD, GMA News The scores: NLEX 105: Salva 17, Sanggalang 14, Garcia 12, Alas 11, Slaughter 10, Camson 10, Pascual 6, Long 6, Lanete 6, Amer 5, Hermida 2 JRU 85: Villarias 21, Maiquez 12, Paniamogan 10, Del Rio 9, Apinan 8, Almario 7, Ighalo 7, Pinto 6, Mabulac 3, Caperal 2, Mirza 0, Lopez 0, Miranda 0 Quarter scores: 26-13, 51-24, 73-51, 105-85