By REYNALD MAGALLON
The last time Rain or Shine faced Ginebra, it lost on the two botched free throws from Jhonard Clarito. Now, not only he nailed the big shots down the stretch but also made sure to seal the deal for the Elasto Painters.
The do-it-all forward lifted his fist up in the air as soon as the buzzer rang as Rain or Shine pulled off a pulsating 115-111 escape of Barangay Ginebra to draw first blood in their best-of-seven semifinals series in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Wednesday, May 20.
Clarito was all over the floor for the Elasto Painters in the waning minutes, joining hands with import Jaylen Johnson and Gian Mamuyac in a strong 13-4 finishing kick before a huge 10,412 fans in attendance.
He finished with 25 points — none bigger than a corner triple and two pressure-packed free throws inside the last 90 seconds to help his team keep the Kings at bay.
Clarito’s heroics also preserved a conference-best showing from Johnson who fired 40 points, including the booming four that triggered the massive run for ROS.
Mamuyac added 18 points while Adrian Nocum added 16. Mike Malonzo has 12 to also step up for the depleted ROS frontline which missed Caelan Tiongson and Luis Villegas.
Meanwhile, Bol Bol delivered the killing blows as TNT survived a furious comeback from Meralco, 94-89, to also take Game 1 in their own series
The 7-foot-3 center exploded for 37 points — none bigger than his layup that slammed the door on the spirited comeback efforts from the Bolts.
TNT looked to be on its way to safely cruising for the victory when it unloaded a 16-4 rally behind the big hits from Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading to erect a 90-79 lead with a little over three minutes left.
But Meralco refused to go down without a fight, unleashing a 10-2 counter capped by a booming four that put the Bolts within, 89-92.
Bol, however, had other plans in mind as after nailing a two-point jumper in the previous possession, went hard on the drive and scored the tough layup that gave TNT a 94-89 cushion.
Bol also collared 11 rebounds to go with eight assists and six blocks. He got ample support from the locals with RR Pogoy firing 21 and Jordan Heading chipping in 16. Calvin Oftan also added 14.
