Rain or Shine found the resolve to win despite playing without import Greg Smith and injured players Matt Nieto and Gian Mamuyac as the Elasto Painters drew big games from Andrei Caracut and timely baskets from Gabe Norwood and Leonard Santillan to edge Terrafirma, 120-118, in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday.
Caracut scored a career-high 25 points, but the Elasto Painters had to come up with two big plays down the stretch before preserving this hard-earned, thrilling victory.
The Elasto Painters worked on a two-man game between Rey Nambatac and Beau Belga, but the cerebral guard was able to locate Santillan inside the shaded lane for the game-winning bucket, leaving only seven tenths of a second left for the Dyip to map out a play.
Terrafirma couldn’t come up with a good one in a hurry, allowing Rain or Shine to pick up back-to-back victories.
“I told the team that I should play the role as temporary import,” Caracut said in jest.
Turning serious, the former La Salle guard heaped praise on all his teammates for stepping up to the challenge, knowing that they needed to play without Smith.
Smith was prevented from playing as the basketball federation in a league he last played for – the Dominican Republic — failed to provide the letter of clearance to the International Basketball Federation.
Last Sunday, Smith helped Rain or Shine to a 122-117 win over Blackwater.
On Thursday, he was suited up, but couldn’t play in compliance with the guidelines set by FIBA.
Smith can play, but Rain or Shine will be slapped with a hefty fine, hence the Elasto Painters decided to wait for the clearance before using him again.
“It’s a collective effort. Everybody is the best player of the game,” added Caracut.
Santillan contributed 21 points and six rebounds while Gabe Norwood, who worked double time on both ends of the court as an import-stopper for Jordan Williams while providing instant offense, added 18 markers, including a steady 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc in what was easily one of his best shooting night.
It was Norwood’s highest point-production in the last three seasons.
The Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 120 – Caracut 25, Santillan 21, Norwood 18, Nambatac 14, Asistio 10, Belga 9, Borboran 8, Ildefonso 6, Yap 4, Ponferrada 3, Demusis 2, Clarito 0, Torres 0
TERRAFIRMA 118 – J.Williams 30, Tiongson 23, Camson 14, Cabagnot 13, Cahilig 13, Ramos 6, Gomez de Liano 6, Calvo 5, Gabayni 4, Alolino 3, Daquioag 1
QUARTERS: 33-28, 59-57, 90-87, 120-118
