Jhonard Clarito believes that experience would play a factor in Rain or Shine’s bid to upend the twice-to-beat NLEX in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
Especially now that the Elasto Painters have moved halfway through finishing the job following a 92-89 stunner of the Road Warriors on Wednesday evening.
“Ah siyempre, ‘yung experience namin malaking bagay ‘yun,” the versatile winger offered shortly after the pulsating clash at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Rain or Shine came into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, and that meant being in a twice-to-win disadvantage against the second-ranked NLEX (8-3).
The crew found themselves paired against the same team they bowed to a 109-95 result in their conference debut last April 12 — one of the five losses they absorbed that ultimately brought them down to that low of a spot.
However, there’s no denying that the Elasto Painters have the edge experience-wise, having reached the semifinals of the last three conferences.
NLEX, on the other hand, hasn’t gotten that far since Jong Uichico took over the head coaching reins back in June of last year to succeed Frankie Lim, who likewise failed to steer the MVP Group-owned franchise to the said stage.
The last time that the Road Warriors reached the semis was in the 2021-22 Governors’ Cup under the tutelage of, coincidentally, Yeng Guiao, who left the team during the 2022-23 season for a homecoming of sorts with Rain or Shine.
(C) PBA Images
Now he’s looking to lead his team to a fourth straight semis appearance by leaning on a squad that’s been toughened up by what they’ve gone through since coming back to lead one of the league’s few independent teams.
And Clarito himself was proof of how much Rain or Shine has grown over the past conferences by becoming the difference in their QF opener.
In easily his finest outing since joining the PBA, the former MPBL standout unloaded 20 points and 21 rebounds, delivering in the fourth most especially on the boards, to help them regain the lead and eventually keep their season alive.
In fact, he outrebounded NLEX in the final frame, 13-12, and nearly matched their foes’ scoring output as he scored 14. The other team only had 16.
A quick check by league chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III showed that Clarito pulled off the first 20-20 game by a local in Rain or Shine franchise history.
He is, furthermore, the shortest local player at 6-foot-2 with a 20-20 showing since Alaska’s Calvin Abueva during the 2014-15 Philippine Cup.
“Itong si Jhonard kita natin effort niya, buwis buhay talaga eh,” lauded head coach Yeng Guiao of the 17th overall pick of the 2022 PBA Draft.
There’s no question that confidence is sky-high on the part of Clarito entering the sudden death on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, but he refuses to get caught up in it whatsoever and rather chooses to stay level-headed.
“Hindi pa rin kami pa-kampante,” he said.
“Kailangan pa rin namin dumipensa. Tulad nga ng sabi ni Coach Yeng, kailangan buwis-buhay every possession.”
#WATCH: Coach Yeng Guiao breaks down Rain or Shine’s big win over NLEX and Jhonard Clarito’s monster 20-20 performance 🔥
🎥 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/dWUhhI9g9r
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 18, 2025
