GAMES TOMORROW
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. – Meralco vs. SMB
7:30 p.m. – Ginebra vs. Converge
RAIN or Shine wingman Jhonard Clarito already had 20 rebounds when he held his breath and watched NLEX star Robert Bolick fire a desperation four-pointer at the buzzer last night.
Pouring everything they got, the Elasto Painters fashioned a heart-stopping 92-89 decision over the Road Warriors to forge a knockout duel in their quarterfinals battle in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Cage gods refused to answer Bolick’s Hail Mary and the hard-working Clarito collared his 21st board before hugging the ball and cupping his hands—it was his and Rain or Shine’s fervent wish that was granted.
Painters’ coach Yeng Guiao said his seventh-ranked charges simply did not want to end their season led by the 6-foot-2 Clarito.
“We were just patient. Nagpasensiya lang kami. Basketball is a game of runs. We have a run in the first half. They (Road Warriors) had a run in the third quarter. Mabuti na lang nakabalik ulit kami noong fourth quarter,” Guiao said. “It was sheer hard work, sheer effort, just the desire to extend the series. Si Jhonard, nakita natin ang effort niya.
“Buwis buhay talaga. Any coach will appreciate the kind of effort they put up, not just him but the rest of the guys. Na-withstand namin iyong torrid shooting nila, ayaw magmintis ng mga tira nila. Mabuti na lang naka-survive kami,” he added.
Clarito capped his 20-20 outing with 20 points while Adrian Nocum chipped in 20 markers, five caroms, and two assists.
Leonard Santillan and Andrei Caracut also had 16 and 10 points as the Painters dragged No. 2 and twice-to-beat NLEX to a rubber match on Saturday, June 21, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The Painters, who came off an 80-98 setback to the Ginebra Kings to close out their elims campaign last Sunday, sprinted to a 36-20 spread early on and enjoyed a 47-37 edge at the intermission.
Behind Xyrus Torres’ fiery shooting, NLEX battled back and grabbed a 73-69 cushion going into the final stanza.
The Road Warriors led by as much as 77-69 on a Kevin Alas layup at the 10:22 mark of the fourth.
But Rain or Shine flooded NLEX with timely baskets down the stretch and three straight crucial offensive rebounds by Clarito to live and fight another day.
Torres banged in 20 points on four three-pointers and a four but laid a big egg in the final period.
Javee Mocon, Bolick, and Brandon Ramirez also contributed 16, 15, and 11 markers, respectively, for the Road Warriors.
This series is anybody’s ballgame now.
