Rain or Shine leaned on Andrei Caracut in the final moments to nab the Game 5 win over Magnolia and the ticket to the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.
It's no secret Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is a hard man to please.
That is why one better believe it whenever Guiao, known more for being a firebrand mentor, doles out praises for a certain player.
Guiao did just that on Saturday, Oct. 5, when he anointed Andrei Caracut as the Elasto Painters’ future following their 113-103 win over Magnolia in their do-or-die Game 5 battle in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
“Andrei made some big shots. And to me, Andrei is the future of our team at the point guard position,” said Guiao before reporters at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Guiao's remarks came moments after the former La Salle guard, who finished with 14 points, helped catapult the Elasto Painters to the semifinals against TNT.
Inside the final three minutes of action, Caracut took matters into his own hands, dropping eight of the last 12 points of Rain or Shine.
The first one came after Magnolia got to as close as 99-101. He then scored off a scoop and a bank shot, both over Paul Lee, to hike the Elasto Painters' lead to 107-101 with 1:19 remaining.
He would can a pair of free throws over a minute later for good measure, 111-101, before Jhonard Clarito sealed the win with his own two shots from the stripe to finally show the exit door to the Hotshots.
[ALSO READ: Converge braces for dogfight against San Miguel in deciding Game 5 of PBA quarterfinals]
Guiao could not help but feel excited about Caracut's potential to get even better.
“He will still get better. Gagaling pa si Andrei,” added Guiao, whose team also drew big games from import Aaron Fuller (26 points, nine rebounds three assists, two steals and a block), Clarito and Adrian Nocum (17 points each).
But the seven-time PBA champion coach was most proud of his wards for coming out with grit and a fighting heart against a more experience Hotshots.
“Pinaka-proud ako doon sa lumaban lang sila. They just competed. They fought it out. Hindi sila bumigay under pressure. It’s just the fighting heart that the guys showed,” he said.
It was indeed a tough test for the Elasto Painters.
Magnolia actually set the pace early on, posting leads of as many as 12 points in the first half. But Rain or Shine's repeated fightbacks finally bore fruit in the third, dragging its foe to a seesaw battle before finally regaining the lead, 84-83, at the end of the frame on a triple by Keith Datu.
Another trey from Datu opened the fourth, and Fuller, Adrian Nocum and Andrei Caracut took over from there to ensure the Elasto Painters' victory.
Reinforcement Jabari Bird continued his fine play for Magnolia as he submitted 23 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and a block, but missed what could have been a crucial triple entering the final minute.
Calvin Abueva was also all over the court for the Hotshots especially in the first half where he poured 12 of his 16 markers. He accounted for five points in an unanswered Magnolia counterattack in the second quarter that helped his squad restore a double-digit spread, 38-48.
Jerrick Ahanmisi fired 15 points, including a four-pointer, but was a non-factor in the final frame when it mattered most.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 113 – Fuller 26, Clarito 17, Nocum 17, Caracut 14, Santillan 12, Datu 11, Belga 11, Lemetti 5, Mamuyac 2, Asistio 1, Norwood 0.
MAGNOLIA 103 – Bird 23, Abueva 16, Ahanmisi 15, Sangalang 12, Lee 9, Dionisio 9, Dela Rosa 9, Barroca 6, Eriobu 4, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0.
Quarterscores: 20-29, 52-55, 85-83, 113-103