Jhonard Clarito showed Barangay Ginebra that he, too, could unleash the ‘Never Say Die’ spirit after trying to will Rain or Shine back from the dead in Game Two of their PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series on Friday.
The Elasto Painters ultimately fell short, but the bruising wing gave the crowd darlings the fits, as he starred in their late-game assault that saw the Elasto Painters cut a 17-point Kings lead to as small as four, 101-97 with 1:37 left.
He went on to finish with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals without any turnover, but refused to take all the credit.
“Kung hindi man sa akin magsimula, magsisimula rin naman sa mga teammate ko,” Clarito said moments after their 109-101 loss at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Magpapasa-pasa na ‘yun; kung sino ‘yung gigil na gigil na makapag-depensa nang maganda, salo-salo na sa mga teammate ko ‘yun. ‘Yun nga nangyari.”
Still, there should be no denying how crucial he was in the near-upset. The six points in the furious 13-0 rally that got Rain or Shine to within a single possession came from him, which he made in successive fashion as well.
Clarito even canned both of his free throws with 32.3 seconds remaining to trim the gap to four once more, 103-99, in a last-ditch attempt to get closer.
But the lead that Ginebra had built was just too big to overcome for the squad, lamented the 2024 Most Improved Player, and they could only do so much.
“Sabi ni Coach Yeng kanina sa dugout, ‘late effort.’ ‘Yun ‘yung kulang sa amin kanina. Wala na kaming nagawa. Medyo malaki na ‘yung lamang nila,” said the soft-spoken cager from Davao del Sur, who shot 6-of-11 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the line.
If anything, that late-game surge, predicated on fastbreaks and gritty defensive stops, showed what exactly they’d need to do to contend with Ginebra.
“At least nakita namin na meron talagang sitwasyon na kung hindi kami mag-full court defense at mag-transition, hindi kami didikit sa kanila,” he said.
“Kailangan naming ulit gawin sa Game 3. ‘Yun ‘yung bread and butter namin.”
