SMBeer grabs Finals berth, boots out ROS

SAN MIGUEL BEER import Arizona Reid puts up a shot against the defense of Rain or Shine’s Wendell McKines during last night’s still ongoing game. August dela cruz

GAME FRIDAY

(Mall of Asia Arena)

7 p.m.—Alaska vs San Miguel Beer

Going to its bread-and-butter play of pounding the inside when times were tough, San Miguel Beer Wednesday night took care of a Rain or Shine side that proved tough to crack to make the championship series of the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Arizona Reid and June Mar Fajardo took turns in hurting the Elasto Painters with clutch baskets inside the paint as the Beermen fended off their gutsy rivals, 117-110, at Smart Araneta Coliseum, to wrap up their best-of-five Final Four series, 3-1.

Reid scored 10 of his 38 in the fourth and Fajardo finished with 27 as San Miguel hung tightly to a 19-point lead it built at the end of the third period to advance to a second title series stint this season, against the same team it defeated for the Philippine Cup.

The Beermen and the Alaska Aces start their series, a best-of-seven, on Friday at 7 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

“This hard-earned victory is about the players, they deserve all the credit,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria, who is in his second Finals appearance in three conferences, said.

Three other Beermen finished with twin digits, with Arwind Santos completing a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 14 rebounds to make up for a lackluster Game 3.

Wendell McKines shot 25 points and had 17 boards, and Gabe Norwood tossed in 11 in the fourth period as the Painters doggedly tried to come back but simply fell to the enormous firepower that the Beermen packed.

San Miguel closed out the third period sitting on a 93-74 lead, only for Rain or Shine to creep to within four points.

Jeff Chan played his best game in this series by finishing with 21, with his triple in transition shoving the Painters within 104-108 going into the final 3:34.

That proved to be the Painters’ last-gasp stand as Santos quickly retaliated with a three of his own and Reid an off-balanced jumper which sandwiched a Chan layup.

The scores:

SAN MIGUEL 117—Reid 38, Fajardo 27, Santos 15, Lassiter 12, Cabagnot 11, Espinas 6, Ross 5, Lutz 3, Tubid 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 110—McKines 25, Chan 21, Norwood 15, Lee 13, Almazan 9, Quiñahan 8, Cruz Jericho 7, Tiu 5, Araña 4, Ibañes 2, Belga 1, Uyloan 0.

Quarters: 31-20, 64-50, 93-74, 117-110