RAIN OR SHINE BOOTS OUT BARAKO BULL, HANDS AIR21 LAST QF BERTH

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RAIN or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao knew he was going to be late for his team’s game against Barako Bull Friday.

He was not worried at all and his belief proved to be well-founded when his Elasto Painters executed their gameplan to the letter in pulling off a cruising 116-101 victory over the Energy Cola and formally lay claim to a Top 3 finish after the elims of the PBA Philippine Cup at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Jervy Cruz scored a career-high 23 points but it was surprise starter Jonathan Uyloan and the returning Paul Lee who provided the biggest all-around boost for Rain or Shine in its bid to get back on track following back-to-back losses, aside from prepping up for the quarterfinals.

“We just followed our gameplan and my job really is to just execute what coach Yeng drew up,” related assistant coach Caloy Garcia, who handled the team in lieu of Guiao.

Guiao did arrive near the end of the third quarter, taking a seat behind the team bench, opting to let Garcia continue handling the team. A quick glance up at the scoreboard made him sport a smug look on his face and a brief smile was flashed when he witnessed his E-Painters opening up the final canto with a 9-2 spurt to post their biggest lead of the game at 95-68.

“I left Pampanga after lunch, around 1:30 (p.m.) and may construction na mahaba sa NLEX,” he related. “I was still confident I could make it in time, but pagdating ko sa Mindanao Avenue, UP, Katipunan, traffic pa rin. Nasa C-5 pa ako 5:30 na.”

Before that, a mobile phone call was made to Garcia. ” I gave him very general instructions, we all know he can coach anyway. Besides, our gameplan was well in place. Even our starters were arrived at a day before the game,” narrated Guiao.

The victory was the ninth in 14 games for Rain or Shine. It could even tie San Mig Coffee for No. 2 should the Mixers lose both their remaining eliminations games against GlobalPort later Friday and Meralco at elims end Sunday. A knockout game will decide such a tie.

Barako Bull was hoping for such a scenario, but with Air21 and for the No. 8 slot.

Instead, the Energy Cola wound up the elims with a 4-10 slate and had to settle for No. 9, out of the playoffs picture along with cellar-dwelling GlobalPort.

Guiao said they were mainly focused on the Barako game.

“Our objective was to gain back some momentum and confidence going to the quarterfinals,” he stated. “Plus, being able to play Paul Lee, make him have a feel of the game.”

Lee, who dislocated his left shoulder in Game 2 of last season’s Governors Cup finals, was given the green light to play just earlier in the week and seemed none the worse for wear.

Last season’s Rookie of the Year wound up with 16 points, six assists and four rebounds in just 20 minutes.

“Naka-tsamba lang,” said Lee. “Matagal na akong nag-shu-shooting at saka ang coaching staff tumutulong sa akin para maka-recover, para pagdating sa laro di malaki ang hahabulin. Okay na ang braso, ready na talaga.”

Guiao said the return of Lee should help them in their best-of-three quarterfinals duel with either Meralco or Ginebra. “It’s a good sign for us. With Paul playing the way he did, it adds a new dimension to our game going to the quarterfinals,” he said.

And then there’s Uyloan.

The guard who has seen action in only three other games before in the tournament and scored just one point in three games this conference and a grand total 26 points in his first two seasons in the PBA, notched 18 points and added four rebounds, as many assists, three steals and a block in 19 minutes.

Uyloan combined with Cruz and gave Rain or Shine the good start it wanted by scoring seven of his points in the opening quarter, including a triple that made it 20-10, before giving way to Lee at the final 4:45 of the period.

The likes of Beau Belga, Jeff Chan and Ryan Arana helped out in their own ways and the difference got stretched to 42-24, early in the second quarter before Barako rallied behind Danny Seigle and Ronald Tubid for an uprising that brought it within 49-54.

It did not take long for Rain or Shine to regain its composure, however.

Chito Jayme drained a triple, Cruz a twinner and Lee strung up five straight points, including a triple from way, way out to beat the shotclock, and Chris Tiu completed a three-point play that all made it a 67-53 game.

Tubid’s jumper broke Barako’s silence, but Lee and Cruz hooked up and accounted for the game’s next 10 points to make it a 19-point difference.

JR Quinahan’s first-ever four-point play of his career pegged an 86-66 count going to the final quarter. (NC)

The scores:

Rain or Shine 116 – Cruz 23, Uyloan 18, Lee 16, Chan 11,Quinahan 11, Belga 10, Tiu 8, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 4, Arana 4, Jaime 3, Matias 0, Tang 0.

Barako Bull 101 – Seigle 21, Tubid 17, Yap16, Kramer 15, Cruz 13, Anthony 11, Carcelo 8, Najorda 0, Pennisi 0.

Quarterscores: 32-19; 54-47; 86-66; 116-101

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