ANTIPOLO – Heroes were aplenty as Rain or Shine ousted Converge, 112-103, to complete the reverse sweep and make its way into the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, Sunday evening at the Ynares Center here.
Displaying more experience against a fellow youth-laden team, the Elasto Painters took control in the fourth quarter.
The team showed steadiness come crunch time en route to finishing the comeback from down 0-1 in the best-of-3 series.
Now, Coach Yeng Guiao and Co. will brace for TNT in a best-of-7 affair in the next round. And, of course, they hope to get some payback after losing to the flagship MVP franchise back in the Season 49 Governors’ Cup semis, 4-1.
“We’re very happy,” said the champion bench tactician. “This is what we’ve been trying to achieve. Past two conferences, we made the semifinals ,so it would be a pity if we did not make the semifinals of this conference.
“It’s also a validation of the hard work that the guys put in, the togetherness and the camaraderie that they have. It’s also a testimony to the progress of the team in general, to be in the semifinals for three consecutive conferences.”
Deon Thompson led Rain or Shine with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, together with a pair of steals and three blocks in nearly 42 minutes.
“Our appreciation to the effort of Deon. I think among all the imports, he’s been the most underrated, lowest scoring import probably, but he’s had his best game I think today, just three assists short of a triple-double,” Guiao lauded.
“Not only that, he did it on the defensive side. He’s not been really noticed, but for us in the team, we know what he means,” he added.
(C) PBA Images
Adrian Nocum delivered yet another splendid outing with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-3 clip from three-point distance.
Andrei Caracut, seemingly back to his usual ways, delivered 14 points, three rebounds, and six assists, while Jhonard Clarito added 11 markers.
Guiao rotated through a total of 10 players, and all of them made sure to contribute in their own ways — none more important than Beau Belga.
Brought in to give Thompson some rest, the veteran big man was one of the biggest factors in turning the tides in their favor for good.
He opened the final period with back-to-back treys for his only points of the match, sparking an 11-3 run toward a 91-80 lead with 9:45 remaining.
The FiberXers still tried to chip away the deficit, mainly behind Alec Stockton, but RoS managed to answer every attempt thanks to Thompson and Nocum,
Caelan Tiongson would strike a tough blow of his own with 1:21 to go, nailing a jump hook off a timeout to make it a 111-103 lead.
Stockton’s missed triple on the other end and a costly turnover near the halfcourt with 44.5 ticks left all but sealed the W for the Elasto Painters.
“I think when you look at the top teams around this league — the Ginebra, the Meralcos — it’s not just JB or Akil. It’s the collective team, that they’re so good at. And I think that’s something that we have here as well,” Thompson said.
(C) PBA Images
Stockton led Converge with 26 points and six assists in the stinging defeat that denied the young franchise its maiden semifinal appearance.
Cheick Diallo supplied 19 points and 13 rebounds as the former NBA big man got saddled by foul trouble with five that limited his production.
Justine Baltazar had 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Justin Arana made 15 points while Deschon Winston added 14 for the FiberXers.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine 112 – Thompson 34, Nocum 25, Caracut 14, Clarito 11, Asistio 7, Belga 6, Datu 5, Tiongson 5, Santillan 4, Malonzo 1.
Converge 103 – Stockton 26, Diallo 19, Baltazar 16, Arana 15, Winston 14, Racal 7, Heading 3, Andrade 3, Santos 0, Cabagnot 0, Caralipio 0, Delos Santos 0, Javillonar 0.
Quarterscores: 22-21, 50-45, 80-77, 112-103.
