PBA: Defending champs Rain or Shine advance to semis, outlast GlobalPort

(Updated 7:36pm) The fourth-seeded Rain or Shine Elasto Painters made sure that Gary David and the rest of the GlobalPort Batang Pier would not have another Cinderella run, eliminating them from the 2013 PBA Governors' Cup postseason with a 108-106 victory, Thursday at the MOA Arena.

“The memory of last conference was still fresh on our minds,” admitted Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao. “There was a little bit of pressure to us because GlobalPort was having a good game and they had a shot at winning the ball game. The thought of losing in the last conference with a twice-to-beat advantage was on our minds.”

During the 2013 Commissioner's Cup, Rain or Shine, ranked second with a twice-to-beat advantage, were eliminated by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

The Elasto Painters were nearly dragged into a do-or-die game by the fifth-ranked Batang Pier. After GlobalPort's import Markeith Cummings scoring on a drive to get within a point, 104-103, Gabe Norwood nailed a dagger three to put RoS up by two possessions with only 17.8 seconds left in the game. Prior to that, Rain or Shine played from behind for most of the game, before catching up late.

Rain or Shine also showed off their depth, as Ryan Araña and Jervy Cruz combined for 20 of their side's markers in the final canto.

“Yung second half, medyo nilalamig na ako pero tiwala ako kay coach na gagamitin pa rin niya ako,” said Arana, the Best Player of the Game with 16 points and three rebounds.

The Batang Pier raced to a 6-2 lead early in the first as Sol Mercado relentlessly drove to the basket. Triples from Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood sandwiched one from Gary David for a 11-10 count in favor of GlobalPort.

Three free throws from David at the 4:36 mark gave Batang Pier a 20-14 lead. Mercado then scored five straight to give his side its first double-digit lead of the game at 25-14. By the end of the first, their 11-point lead held, 34-23, behind a combined 22 points from Mercado and David.

A layup from Jervy Cruz at the 8:10 mark of the second trimmed GlobalPort's lead down to nine. However, Willie Miller quickly replied with a basket for a 40-29 count in their favor.

Six free throws from Chris Tiu and one from Arizona Reid got the Elasto Painters to within four at 40-36. But Mercado checked back into the game and made a three to bring their lead back up to seven points.

ROS slowly chipped away at GlobalPort's lead in the latter part of the second quarter. A triple from Tiu at the 2:28 mark got his team within one at 47-46. He then tied the game with a free throw on the next possession.

Tiu led the Rain or Shine’s second quarter comeback with 10 points, but he committed two late turnovers to allow GlobalPort to escape with a 53-49 lead.

Mercado led all scorers at the half with 17 points while Markeith Cummings added 10 for GlobalPort. RoS on the other hand was led by Tiu and Reid who scored 10 points apiece.

The Batang Pier went on a 7-1 run capped by a Jay Washington triple to build a 60-50 lead early in the third quarter. Their advantage ballooned to 12 until Jeff Chan finally made his first basket of the game with a long two for a 67-57 score still in favor of GlobalPort.

RoS finally made headway after five straight points from Paul Lee trimmed the Batang Pier lead to six at 69-63, with still 5:05 left in the third quarter. However, Mercado replied with a layup on the other end to bring it back to eight. Chan scored on a layup on the other end, but Mercado countered anew, drilling in a three for a 74-65 GlobalPort lead.

The Elasto Painters answered via an 8-0 run, to trim the lead down to a single point. They had a golden opportunity to tie as GlobalPort head coach Junel Baculi was called for his second technical foul of the ball game but Chan missed the free throw.

After a free throw from Cummings, Reid knotted the game at 75-all with 1:19 left in the third. Tiu then found Quinahan wide open down low for the go-ahead basket for ROS. Washington however, ended the third quarter with a triple for a 78-77 count in GlobalPort’s favor heading into the payoff period.

Rudy Lingganay opened the fourth quarter with a basket but it was quickly followed by a triple from Ryan Arana that tied the ball game at 80-all. Washington then responded with his own triple with Yousef Taha making the bonus free throw, as he was fouled by Jervy Cruz while Washington’s shot went in, for an 84-80 GlobalPort lead.

The Elasto Painters tied the ball game anew at the 7:11 mark of the fourth after a three-point play from Reid. Cruz then added a free throw on their next possession for a 90-89 ROS lead. Arana stretched the lead to four with an and-one play, but David was fouled taking a three. He made all of the free throws to get the Batang Pier within a point at 93-92.

The two teams then exchanged one-point leads over the remaining minutes. Araña broke the see-saw battle with a three-point play at the 3:19 mark of the fourth to give ROS a 99-95 lead. The Batang Pier however refused to go down without a fight, as a mid-range jumper from David trimmed the ROS lead to two at 103-101.

Gabe Norwood managed a split on the other end to extend their lead to three, but Cummings scored inside to get GlobalPort within a point. On the next RoS possession, Norwood nailed the dagger three with 17.8 seconds left in the ball game to put this one away.

“We survived a bad free throw shooting night but the important thing is we made big shots. Ryan made some big shots and Gabe made the biggest shot,” said Guiao. His charges only made 27 of their 43 foul shots, for a paltry 62.8 percent clip.

Reid missed five free throws in the game but he still managed to score 25 points. Lee added 14 for Rain or Shine, but he had to be pulled out of the game as he injured his right calf.

Guiao was all praises for their vanquished foe, saying, “We were lucky that coach Junel Baculi was thrown out of the game.

"I’m happy we were able to grind out a win against a ball club that is getting better every game.”

Cummings led all scorers with 29 points in the game, while Mercado chipped in 22 points, five rebounds and six assists. David and Washington both had 18 points, but GlobalPort barely got anything from the rest of the squad.

With the win, the Elasto Painters are one step closer to defending the title they won last year. They now await the winner in the series between the Petron Blaze Boosters and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

Guiao, however, refuses to pick a preferred opponent. “I just want their series to go long and for their games to have four or five overtimes per game,” he quipped. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Rain or Shine 108 - Reid 25, Arana 16, Lee 14, Cruz 12, Tiu 10, Norwood 9, Belga 7, Quinahan 7, Chan 6, Rodriguez 2, Uyloan 0, Matias 0, Tang 0, Ibanes 0

Globalport 106 - Cummings 29, Mercado 22, Washington 18, David 18, Nabong 5, Taha 4, Lingganay 4, Salvador 4, Miller 2, Belencion 0, Alonzo 0

Quarter scoring: 23-34, 49-53, 77-78, 108-106