In what seemed a done deal entering the fourth quarter, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters had to face a frantic Alaska rally, but managed to hang on late for a critical 112-108 victory, and now are one win away from ending their championship drought at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.
The two teams went back-and-forth in the first 17 minutes of the match, which yielded a knotted score at 37. Alaska managed to lead by a minimal, despite a heated and physical opener between Calvin Abueva and Beau Belga.
However, the rest of the first half went the way of the Elasto Painters, who outscored Alaska by 15 during the second period. A 10-0 run in the middle of the quarter, including three triples by Belga and Jericho Cruz separated Rain or Shine from their counterparts for good. At the tail-end of the first half, the Elasto Painters limited the Aces to only five points in the last four minutes, and eventually led 62-47 at the break.
The physicality lasted the entire match, but Rain or Shine was able to withstand the intensity brought by the Aces. They showed no rust during the break whatsoever, as the team unleashed a 15-5 spurt to further widen the gap.
Five more triples splashed by Rain or Shine in the third left Alaska stunned in the massive offensive outburst. A basket made by Chris Tiu in the 1:54 mark established the biggest lead of the game at 27, 95-68.
The lead was sufficiently enough, as the Elasto Painters managed to hang on against Alaska’s late rampage. A collective effort by the Aces erased a 20-point hole with 6:53 left and sliced it to 104-93 to provide a scare against RoS.
However, Gabe Norwood knocked down a corner triple with two minutes to go to stop the bleeding for the Painters. A couple of stops and layups by the Aces down the stretch cut the lead further down to four made the game interesting. Unfortunately, the run came too late, as Rain or Shine survived in regulation.
Coach Yeng Guiao is aware of the Beermen’s feat last conference and doesn’t want any part of that.
“We don’t want to be in that position in losing the three game lead,” Guiao said. “We’ll try to finish this off on Friday. It’s all mental focus, executing game plan.”
“Throughout this series, we’re able to handle their press well and we’re doing that and generally good defense.”
Four Painters tallied double-figures led by JR Quiñahan’s 18 off the bench. Jericho Cruz chipped in 17 and three triples in the win. Meanwhile, Dozier paced Alaska with 23 points and 8 rebounds.
Alaska led the interior scoring with 42 compared to Rain or Shine’s 32. However, the Elasto Painters made four more triples, converting 15 of their 30 attempts. In addition, they had more points in transition, 16-7.
Rain or Shine will seek their franchise’s second title on Friday, 7:00pm at the Big Dome. Meanwhile, Alaska tries to save its season after this crushing defeat.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine (112) – Quinahan 18, Cruz 17, Henderson-Niles 11, Lee 10, Norwood 9, Belga 8, Tiu 8, Ahanmisi 7, Almazan 7, Chan 6, Ibanes 6, Ponferada 5, Nimes 0.
Alaska (108) – Dozier 23, Abueva 20, Banchero 15, Jazul 14, Baguio 9, Hontiveros 9, Thoss 7, Exciminiano 5, Baclao 4, Dela Rosa 2.
Quarterscores: 28-28, 62-47, 95-72, 112-108.
