Jabari Bird (with ball) ran rings around defenders to finish with 30 points. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Undermanned and on the brink of elimination, Magnolia played with relentless pace all of Tuesday night to dismantle Rain or Shine, 129-100, sending their Governors’ Cup quarterfinals to a rubber match.
The Hotshots used their experience to the hilt behind the leadership of Paul Lee, who after getting shackled to just six points in Game 3, put up 25 points in Game 4 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium to help his club level the series with the Elasto Painters to two games apiece.
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“I just stayed locked in,” the veteran guard said in the postgame presser. “I just stuck with my routine like I do every day, and just embraced the moment. I focused on every possession and I’m happy that everyone else was laser-focused as well tonight.”
Magnolia bucked a shaky opening period and went on a cutthroat run in the middle quarters to build a cushion that the Hotshots held on for the equalizer and a commendable rebound from a deflating overtime defeat that had coach Chito Victolero fuming toward the end.
Lucero absent
“It started with me. After the game, I talked to the players and told them that we should forget everything,” Victolero said of the contentious Game 3 in Antipolo where a game official missed a critical goaltending violation and left several players bloodied, including Zavier Lucero who sat out Tuesday’s contest.
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“’Til midnight, we talked about our frustrations. I told them ‘What’s great about a best-of-five series is that they (Rain or Shine) needed to win three games. They’ve only just won two,’” Victolero added.
“We’ve been here before and we’ve been here a lot of times. The veteran players know what to do,” he added.
They sure did.
Lee’s hot shooting backstopped import Jabari Bird’s team-best 30. Jerrick Ahanmisi added 14 points while Mark Barroca and Ian Sangalang both finished with 10 points, leaving Rain or Shine—known for their tireless brand of basketball—gasping and groping for answers most of the night.
Import Aaron Fuller had 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Jhonard Clarito had 15 points while four more finished in double figures. But their efforts went down the drain as the Elasto Painters hardly had any answers to the Hotshots’ torrid shooting from deep.
Rain or Shine will have another crack at advancing on Saturday night again at Antipolo City, and the club may find a Magnolia side back at full strength by then.
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Victolero said Lucero is due for a CT scan on Wednesday and, if cleared, will definitely see action in the deciding Game 5. INQ