Photo by Nuki Sabio
MANILA, Philippines—Rain or Shine, a young squad itching to carve a niche in PBA history, and Petron Blaze, a powerhouse side with a very rich winning tradition, try to close out separate foes Wednesday and seal places in the Final Four of a 2011 Philippine Cup that’s seen its share of the unexpected happening.
The Elasto Painters have momentum on their side when they battle Barangay Ginebra at 5:15 p.m. at the Ynares Center floor in Antipolo, the feeling of an improbable rally that clinched a 112-105 overtime victory in Game 1 still fresh in their minds.
And Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is bracing himself for a Ginebra comeback, hopeful that they could wrap things up in the best-of-three series with the two remaining chances that they have and make a Final Four series for just the second time in franchise history.
“We came back from the jaws of hell,” Guiao had told reporters Friday night after the series-opening win that saw them trail by as many as 17 early in the fourth period. “I thought it was a lost game. For a young team, we played with a lot of maturity.
“Hopefully, we can win one more game because Ginebra is going to come back, I’m sure.”
The Boosters, meanwhile, try to also sweep hard-fighting Meralco in the 7:30 p.m. game with B-Boys’ coach Ryan Gregorio now knowing that he has to keep a special eye fixed on Alex Cabagnot for them to extend their series to a deciding game.
Cabagnot hit consecutive four-point plays in the most critical time in the fourth period also on Friday and snuffed the fight out of the B-Boys in a game that was tight to say the least.
The Boosters thus rolled to a 91-84 decision for a 1-0 edge that pundits feel is huge in a best-of-three series between perfectly-matched sides.
And Gregorio wants to take inspiration from a recent victory by Powerade, the unlikeliest of semifinalist thus far after the Tigers had mounted a searing charge in the fourth quarter on Sunday to defeat No. 1 seed B-Meg two straight games.
“The victory of the eighth seed inspires us to believe that it can be done,” Gregorio said on the eve of his matchup with the No. 3 Boosters. “I just can’t help but challenge my players: ‘why not us?’”
Cabagnot will be the man to stop for the B-Boys, who are again expected to draw fire from their high-scoring guard combo of Sol Mercado and Mac Cardona.