By REYNALD MAGALLON
The eyes of Magnolia import Jabari Bird widened as he looked clear for take off after taking the leather away from Rain or Shine but Jhonard Clarito did not give up on the play and tapped the ball from behind.
He might have crashed on the floor and failed to save the ball from going out of bounds but it only typified the fight, the grit and the poise the Elasto Painters displayed to make it to the semifinals.
Rain or Shine proved to be the steadier team down the stretch, outlasting Magnolia, 113-103, in the sudden-death Game 5 of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Saturday, Oct. 5.
The Elasto Painters rode on a fiery 16-4 run bridging the third and fourth frame to take the lead before doing just enough to keep the Hotshots at bay to get the last laugh in the highly-physical and emotional best-of-five series.
Aaron Fuller was an immovable force inside the paint for Rain or Shine with 26 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block while Adrian Nocum and Andrei Caracut delivered critical baskets to keep the Elasto Painters’ heads above the water despite the repeated Magnolia rallies.
The ROS backcourt duo combined for 15 of the team’s 28 points in the fourth quarter, with Nocum finishing with 17 points and Caracut adding 14 – none bigger than the last six inside the last 150 seconds of the game.
Jhonard Clarito remained steady with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Leonard Santillan and Keith Datu had 12 points apiece.
It is now the second-straight semifinals appearance for Rain or Shine since head coach Yeng Guiao returned to the team.
The Elasto Painters arranged a best-of-seven showdown with the TNT Tropang Giga, who hardly broke a sweat in advancing to the last four after dispatching NLEX, 3-1, in their own quarters series.
The younger but hungrier Rain or Shine had to dig deep in the contest after trailing by as many as 12 points early on before making some headway and cutting the lead down to just three, 55-52.
Magnolia kept ROS at bay, 74-79, before the telling run and took a 90-83 advantage behind Clarito, Fuller and Datu early in the fourth.
The Hotshots kept coming in the fourth but the Elasto Painters were hardly rattled with Caracut providing the answers late.
Bird had 23 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort for Magnolia. Calvin Abueva also had his share with 15 points while Jerrick Ahanmisi chipped in 13 as the Hotshots missed the veteran poise of Paul Lee and Mark Barroca, who uncharacteristically underperformed in the do-or-die game.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 113 – Fuller 26, Clarito 17, Nocum 17, Caracut 14, Santillan 12, Datu 11, Belga 11, Lemetti 5, Mamuyac 2, Asistio 1, Norwood 0
MAGNOLIA 103 – Bird 23, Abueva 16, Ahanmisi 15, Sangalang 12, Lee 9, Dionisio 9, Dela Rosa 9, Barroca 6, Eriobu 4, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0
QUARTERS : 20-29, 52-55, 85-83, 113-103
