It was far from the lopsided show back in Game One, but the result was still the same.
Star faced a better Rain or Shine in Game Two Wednesday night, but it was their poise down the stretch that made the difference and were enough to propel them to the semifinals, 84-69, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
With their sweep of the Elasto Painters, the defending Commissioner’s Cup champions, the Hotshots will now head into the next round and will face San Miguel Beermen.
“We expected a grinding game. I told my players that it will be a different story in Game Two,” said Star head coach Chito Victolero in the victory. “Credit to coach Caloy [Garcia] and Rain or Shine, but my players refused to give up.”
Ricardo Ratliffe had a monster 20-20 outing with 26 points on 53 percent shooting and 24 rebounds to pace the Hotshots. Paul Lee provided 13 markers on 12 shots.
From a deadlock at 63 with 7:59 remaining in the final chapter, Star pulled off a stunning 15-3 scoring spree punctuated by a Rafi Reavis triple to establish a favorable 12-point lead, 78-66, with 2:58 left to play.
The Elasto Painters then lost grip of the match later on, not being able to spark any serious threat in the succeeding minutes as the Hotshots safely secured the much-needed victory.
Now that they have reached the semis, Victolero hopes that his side can prepare enough as they face the mighty Beermen.
“Right now, ang concern ko lang is sana matagalan pa yung semis. ‘Di ko alam yung schedule eh, so I don’t know ilang araw preparation ko,” hoped the first-year coach. “Kailangan kasi sa San Miguel, mahabang preparation.”
Mark Barroca chipped in 12 points for Star, with 10 coming from the final frame. But, it was his defense that glowed in the bout as he finished with five steals, with four also coming from the fourth period.
Duke Crews was the lone bright spot for the reigning titlists with 12 markers and five rebounds. Chris Tiu had nine. James Yap, who only finished with three markers in Game One, produced the same output.
Star shot just 35 percent, but they clearly won the boards, 57-39. Their defense also forced Rain or Shine to 24 turnovers, which led to 20 points.
Both squads were foul-plagued through out the match. Rain or Shine had 32, while Star got whistled for 22 times.
The Scores:
Star (84) – Ratliffe 26, Lee 13, Barroca 12, Simon 9, Sangalang 8, Jalalon 8, Reavis 4, Ramos 2, Maliksi 2, Melton 0.
Rain or Shine (69) – Crews 12, Chan 9, Tiu 9, Belga 7, Washington 7, Norwood 6, Ahanmisi 6, Cruz 4, Ponferada 4, Yap 3, Almazan 2.
Quarterscores: 16-19, 33-37, 55-52, 84-69.
