For the first time in franchise history, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will be fighting for the championship.
The Painters sealed their first finals appearance since joining the league in 2006 as they gutted out a hard-earned, 92-82 win over the B-Meg Llamados at the close of the semifinal round of the 37th PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Painters could have booked a finals ticket earlier but lost three of their first four semifinal games. The Llamados and the Painters went into the game with similar 9-4 (win-loss) slates.
Despite the debacle, all is still not lost for B-Meg which will play a playoff match against last night’s main game winner for the right to face the Painters in the best-of-seven championship.
The Talk N Text Tropang Texters and the Barangay Ginebra Kings were still playing as of this writing. The winner in that match will play the Llamados for the second and last finals berth.
The championship series will start on Sunday.
Although the Painters had double-digit leads for most of the game, the victory wasn’t served on a silver platter.
The Llamados, who are looking to advance to the championship round once again after winning the Commissioner’s Cup crown, trailed by as many as 19 points in the third period but came charging in the fourth.
B-Meg rallied within, 82-88 in the final 55.2 seconds but that proved to be its last gasp as Rain or Shine ended the game with four unanswered points.
The Llamados had the chance to further trim the deficit but failed to complete a defensive stop in the final seconds.
After a basket by Marques Blakely, B-Meg forced Jeff Chan to miss a three-point shot but the Llamados failed to corral the defensive rebound as the ball fell straight into hands of Rain or Shine import Jamelle Cornley.
Cornley made one of two free throws then James Yap missed a point-blank layup in the next play that led to a split free throw by Rain or Shine rookie Paul Lee.
Chan led the way for the Painters with 25 points, while Cornley added 16. Blakely led the Llamados with 18 markers.
BOX SCORES
RAIN OR SHINE (92)- Chan 25, Cornley 16, Buenafe 11, Cruz 9, Lee 8, Norwood 7, Belga 7, Quinahan 7, Ibanes 2, Tang 0, Araña 0.
B-MEG (82) – Blakely 18, Yap 12, Villanueva 11, Barroca 10, Simon 9, Pingris 8, De Ocampo 6, Gaco 4, Reavis 4, Urbiztondo 0. QUARTERSCORES: 23-20, 49-41, 74-58, 92-82.