By MARK REY MONTEJO
Rain or Shine got off to a roaring start and dismantled Blackwater, 151-95, to remain unbeaten in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila Tuesday, March 31.
The Elasto Painters imposed their will early, unloading a 42-15 first-quarter blitz sparked by Andrei Caracut and returning import Jaylen Johnson. The lead ballooned to 75-44 at the half before they blew the game wide open to put the Bossing away in the second half.
Johnson, who was coming off a one-game suspension due to an ugly fistfight with TNT’s Glenn Khobuntin, returned in style as he powered Rain or Shine to its fourth win in as many games to keep the early conference lead.
Blackwater, meanwhile, dropped to 1-3.
The 42-15 first-quarter cushion – anchored by Andrei Caracut – was the largest margin in an opening period of this conference, according to league chief statistician Fidel Mangonon.
The Elasto Painters also erased a four-decade-old mark set by U-Tex in its 154-99 demolition of Great Taste on July 12, 1980.
“‘Yon talaga ‘yong laro namin, that’s our identity, we like to get out quickly in transition, try to find our rhythm in the open court, that’s how we generate our looks and our shots,” said RoS head coach Yeng Guiao. “‘Yong mga unang tira namin nagka-momentum kami sa umpisa palang.”
The 6-foot-9 Johnson posted 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, and four blocks, but it was Caracut who stood out the most for Rain or Shine after scoring 18 of his 22 points in the first frame that came with one rebound and three assists.
“‘Yong binibigay na trust ni coach [Yeng], kailangan ko lang suklian, and luckily, naka-shoot ako no’ng [unang quarter], so medyo mainit, kaya sabi ko tira lang ako nang tira,” said Caracut.
“Samin naman, pag alam naming mainit ‘yon ‘yong bibigyan namin, masaya kami pag nakaka-shoot ‘yong mga kasama namin, masaya lahat lalo na pag panalo,” he added.
Deo Cuajao had an impressive PBA debut after listing 15 points on 3-of-7 three-point shooting, one rebound, two assists, and one steal. Gian Mamuyac also added 15 points, while rookie Jun Roque chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Also contributing offensively for the Elasto Painters were Adrian Nocum, Anton Asistio, and Leonard Santillan who all logged 12 points each.
The burly big man Robert Upshaw III paced the Bossing with 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists, while Rey Ilagan and Sedrick Barefield chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively, which all went down the drain.
As the league takes its break for the Lenten season, ROS is set for a short respite before engaging San Miguel next Wednesday, April 8, at the same venue. There, Blackwater also shoots for a bounce-back win over Titan Ultra.
