RK Ilagan has proven time and again for Converge that he can be relied on when the lights are the brightest and with the outcome on the line.
And he did it anew, this time silencing NorthPort with two daggers to lead the FiberXers to their franchise’s first-ever win streak, 104-98, Saturday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Roi Sumang pulled the Batang Pier back to within six after being down by as much as 16 in the fourth frame, bulldozing Ilagan to the rack, 97-91.
Then when NorthPort called a timeout at the 2:59 mark, Ilagan was subbed out by Converge head coach as Sumang was just having his way over the sophomore.
Sumang then sank a big triple with 2:16 left on the clock to move within three, 94-97, before NorthPort missed two consecutive shots.
The FiberXers then went on a timeout with 1:02 remaining, paving the way for the return of the 5-foot-7 cold-blooded shooter out of San Sebastian.
And Ilagan just went all fire, going on an isolation play on the way to a mid-range jumper, before pulling up for a three-pointer in Converge’s next possession for the kill, 102-94, with 19.2 seconds left.
“Bago ‘yung pagpasok ko, nilabas ako ni coach kasi nasu-shootan ako ni Kuya Shej Roi [Sumang] so akala ko di na ako makakapasok,” said the fiery guard out of Tondo.
“Pinagkatiwalaan pa rin ako ni Coach Jeff, so sabi ko kailangan ko suklian ‘yung tiwala nila sa’kin.”
And that is exactly what Cariaso loves about Ilagan, his readiness regardless of the situation.
Number zero is always in the mind of the FiberXers coaching staff when the game goes down the line, knowing how clutch the hands of Ilagan are.
“Like what he just said he wasn’t expecting to come back in, but he did, we needed him, we called his name, and he was ready,” said the all-smiles bench tactician.
“We love his work ethic, we love his attitude, he’s always ready, he’s always ready.”
Despite being Converge’s go-to guy in situations where the team badly needs to score, Ilagan is still keeping his feet on the ground.
He just knows that whatever he has done in the PBA, it’s just the start for him, pushing himself to even be much better.
“Siguro po sa akin, thankful lang talaga ako sa kanila, sa mga coaches ko,” said Ilagan on his late-game exploits.
“Kailangan di ako mag-relax, kailangan i-continue ko ‘yung ginagawa ko, and kailangan mag-improve pa po ako.”
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
