By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rain or Shine played with a sense of urgency and scored a 116-97 victory over the also-ran Blackwater to boost its own playoff aspirations in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Friday, Nov. 25.
Still in the running for a possible spot in the quarterfinals, the Elasto Painters, behind the pesky defense of their guards and the sweet shooting of their bigs, shook off the Bossing in the second half to improve to a 5-6 record in the standings.
Rain or Shine not only arrested a two-game slide but also got a share of the seventh spot with Phoenix with only a game left in its elimination assignments.
Ryan Pearson finally showed his worth with a steady performance of 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Rey Nambatac fired 21 points apart from posting seven boards and four dimes to orchestrate the inside-outside assault from the Elasto Painters.
ROS also got solid contributions from Anton Asisito who chipped in 13 points built on four triples and Norbert Torres who also posted 13 markers while holding his ground against Blackwater import Cameron Krutwig.
The win was an encouraging sign to say the least, for head coach Yeng Guiao heading into their crucial match against Magnolia which could determine their fate in the mid-season conference.
“Gumaganda naman yung laro ng import namin. He is playing better. He’s actually more efficient now rebounding better, mas gamay na niya yung mga kasama niya,” Guiao said of Pearson who replaced Steve Taylor Jr. a few weeks ago.
“Sa nilaro namin ngayon, good sign ito. Pero napakahirap ipagpag nung Blackwater bandang third quarter nakadikit pa rin sila sa amin. Marami lang talaga silang kulang, manipis lang talaga yung rotation nila pero kung kumpleto ito mahirap talunin ito,” he admitted.
The Elasto Painters indeed had to dig deep to avoid disaster against the hard-fighting Bossing who still came too close for comfort late in the third frame when it cut the ROS lead down to just two, 70-68, after trailing by as many as 12 points early on.
Fortunately for Rain or Shine, the suffocating pressure defense of its guards behind Asistio, Andrei Caracut, and Gian Mamuyac made wonders allowing them to get transition baskets and create some breathing space, 82-71 heading into the payoff period.
Krutwig made sure to leave a lasting impression in his final game with 23 points and 17 rebounds while Jollo Go added a season-best performance of 18 points. The efforts, however, went down the drain as the Bossing ended a once promising campaign with a six-game losing streak on a 3-9 record, largely due to the injuries to key players like Baser Amer, Jvee Casio and Troy Rosario.
