DIE ANOTHER DAY
Coach Yeng Guiao couldn’t be any prouder of the way Jhonard Clarito typified the grit and desire Rain or Shine put up in pushing NLEX to the limit in their PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal showdown.
“Buwis-buhay talaga,” Guiao said after Clarito’s 20-point, 21-rebound performance in the Elasto Painters’ 92-89 victory on Wednesday at Philsports Arena in Pasig City, which put all the pressure on the higher-ranked Road Warriors in their KO match.
The fiery coach was using a Filipino phrase that describes the haphazard way people perform their jobs just to succeed.
Clarito had never recalled having such an impressive stats line even before making the jump to the big league in 2022, and this one came at a perfect time for a Rain or Shine team eyeing a fourth consecutive semifinal appearance.
“Coach told us during the huddle that we weren’t doing well with our three-pointers,” an exhausted Clarito told reporters after the match.
“We just [hustled]. Like coach said, nobody loses on defense. We just needed to give our all.”
The Elasto Painters can complete the reversal on Saturday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, with the winner to face off against the Magnolia Hotshots or the TNT Tropang 5G in a best-of-seven semis.
Magnolia was seeking to end TNT’s Grand Slam dreams at press time. Otherwise, their own decider will also be held on Saturday.
Going through deciding matches isn’t something new for Rain or Shine, whose past three semifinal stints all came after it won do-or-die games. The Elasto Painters defeated TNT in the 2024 Philippine Cup, Magnolia in the 2024 Governors’ Cup and Converge in the 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup.
“It seems tiring to play these do-or-die games,” Guiao said. “At some point, you’ll die.”
But Guiao can be glad that the terms are now level between Rain or Shine and NLEX, which was denied its first crack at the semifinals.
NLEX nearly got the job done when Rain or Shine’s 16-point deficit disappeared and the Road Warriors eventually took the lead in the third behind the shooting of Xyrus Torres.
Rain or Shine refused to back down, and erased NLEX’s eight-point advantage with Clarito playing the starring role.
Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan also provided some key plays, Caelan Tiongson played stingy defense and Andrei Caracut’s quarterbacking was solid as the Elasto Painters eventually held off the Road Warriors.
Torres, who finished with 20 points, later cooled off, so did Robert Bolick after a 5-of-20 shooting for 15 points.
“We just outworked them and we helped each other,” said Clarito in Filipino.
Nocum topscored for the Elasto Painters with 20 points while Santillan had 16 points and seven rebounds before being forced to the bench after getting poked in his right eye.
Caracut added 10 points while Tiongson had six points and two rebounds in almost 29 minutes for Rain or Shine.
Torres scored 14 in the third which helped NLEX erase a 45-29 deficit and a 47-37 hole at the half and build a 73-69 lead entering the payoff period.
The Road Warriors cooled off in the fourth, making just 21 percent of its shots even as the Elasto Painters completed their rally behind Clarito’s 14 points and 13 rebounds in that decisive quarter.
