Showing tremendous character in the face of adversity, Rain or Shine was able to survive a torrid shooting night from Magnolia and hold on to a hard-earned 109-105 win in Game 1 of their PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinals series at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday night.
“We anticipated it. Ang sabi ko sa kanila kanina, kung matatalo man tayo, ang tingin kong puwedeng tumalo sa amin yung three-point shot at four-point shots nila,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “Yung ibang ginagawa nila kaya naming depensahan.”
“Pero kahit na conscious ka that they can make the three or four, iba pa rin sa actual. Mahirap pa ring depensahan. That’s why part of the game plan is just to be able to lessen their efficiency. Mataas masyado yung 50% shooting sa four-point shot. That’s fantastic shooting.”
Magnolia hit six of 12 shots from the four-point region with Jerrick Ahanmisi leading the way, hitting three of four attempts.
Import Rayvonte Rice, Paul Lee and Aris Dionisio each hit a four-point shot apiece.
The Hotshots also drilled in five three-point shots as their outside sniping kept them within striking distance of pulling off a win.
But the Elasto Painters showed toughness down the stretch as rookie Caelan Tiongson hit the go-ahead three-pointer and Andrei Caracut, Jhonard Clarito and import Aaron Fuller coming away with crucial free throws to bail out their squad.
“We know they’ll make a lot of four-point shots. Parang specialty na ito ni Ahanmisi. You have to pay special attentuoin to that,” added Guiao. “Kung nag0minstis lang yun, baka hindi kami masyadong nahirapan, pero yun talaga nagpahirap sa amin.”
“Yun ang halos pumatay sa amin. Fantastic, insane percentages. That’s amazing. I just don’t know if they can keep repeating that.”
