No lead is safe in this Governor’s Cup semis and Game 2 was not an exception. Now we have a series.
In a game of great offensive exchanges, the Rain or Shine completed a comeback in the dying seconds of the match, as a turnover by San Miguel caused them the game that led to a Jeff Chan three to ice a 113-110 Game 2 ending and yield the series at one game apiece held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday evening.
From the get go, Wendell McKines was already bullying his way inside while the Beermen were starting to get their flow going from distance. An Arizona Reid three gave SMB the biggest lead of the first quarter at 17-9 despite Rain or Shine being active playing the passing lanes early. However, in the middle of the period, the Elasto Painters had a 13-4 run including triples from JR Quiñahan, Jireh Ibañes and McKines. Trading baskets towards the tail-end led to a tied game after 12 minutes of action.
Rain or Shine had some key baskets that looked to be a head start for the Painters to take over the game. Unfortunately, Reid and the rest of his crew were favored by the high-paced, offensive-filled tempo during the second quarter. An eight-point lead was erased by the Painters’ good shooting from the free-throw area but SMB’s bigs gave them a couple of baskets inside to help them lead by five heading into their respective dugouts at the half.
Then came the third quarter wherein Arizona Reid and Marcio Lassiter started to knock down shot after shot from the perimeter. San Miguel managed to score 36 points in the period and despite Rain or Shine going with the flow offensively, the Beermen restored their lead with every mini-rally put by the Painters. By the six-minute mark of the period, San Miguel erected their largest lead of the game at 76-56 but McKines was a force and led his team to slice the lead down to 13 heading to the fourth.
Lassiter was still red-hot in shooting but momentum was shifting slowly in favor of RoS in the final quarter of action. They broke the double-digit barrier by the five-minute mark with a Paul Lee triple to make it a 105-98 game. Possessions later, McKines continued to attack the inside notwithstanding the Beermen’s massive frontcourt. McKines scored two straight baskets with more than a minute to go while his counterpart Reid went isolation on the other end that led to unproductive trips for San Miguel.
With seconds remaining, McKines missed a shot from the inside but the Elasto Painters were lucky enough to secure an offensive rebound that eventually led to the game-tying jump shot by Gabe Norwood from the mid-range area. With about 25 ticks left, Lassiter tried to locate Reid in the high-post but a weak pass was intercepted by McKines. This resulted to a 3-on-2 fastbreak down on Rain or Shine’s end as Jireh Ibañes found a spotting Jeff Chan for the booming three to give them the lead and leave SMB stunned with three seconds left. After a timeout, Alex Cabagnot double-clutched a shot from the right corner but came short and thus sealed the deal for the Painters.
McKines scattered 53 humongous points on a decent 16-of-23 shooting from the field, to go with 17 rebounds and five blocks. The Painters inside game was evident with more points in the paint, 48-26.
After the game, McKines expressed the appreciation for his team with the tremendous comeback they displayed. Saying “I love this team. We gonna give credit to coach Yeng. We can control our effort and energy and look for me to provide the energy. Same approach to Game 3. Play hard and smart.”
Reid finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Beermen while Marcio Lassiter’s had a sizzling shooting display from three-point territory with 10 triples in his 31-point exertion. As a whole, San Miguel scored 21 times from downtown.
Game 3 of this series will be played on Monday, 7pm still at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine (113) – McKines 53, Quiñahan 11, Ibañes 10, Norwood 9, Lee 8, Chan 6, Araña 6, Tiu 5, Uyloan 3, Almazan 2, Cruz 0
San Miguel (110) – Reid 33, Lassiter 31, Fajardo 15, Santos 11, Ross 7, Tubid 5, Cabagnot 4, Lutz 2, De Ocampo 2, Espinas 0
Quarters: 26-26, 48-53, 77-89, 113-110
