Powerade stops Rain or Shine to clinch first Finals berth
MANILA, Philippines—Gary David scored his lowest output with 24 points in the seven-game series but it proved to be enough as No. 8 Powerade repulsed Rain or Shine, 107-98, Wednesday night to clinch the first Finals berth in the 37th PBA Philippine Cup at the jampacked Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
Top overall pick JV Casio bounced back from an off-night in Game 6 with a game-high 25 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists to lead the history-seeking Tigers
Casio only had seven points last Sunday in Powerade’s loss to Rain or Shine that led to the do-or-die decider.
Marcio Lassiter flirted with a triple-double with 17 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while Doug Kramer gave his team a lift with a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Backup point guard Celino Cruz and Will Antonio had 10 points each to round up six Tigers in double-figure scoring.
The Elasto Painters rallied from 22 points down to move to within eight points, 90-98, with 4:37 left courtesy of a jump shot from Jeff Chan.
But Casio immediately restored order with a momentum swinging three-point play to push Powerade’s lead back to double-digits, 101-90, with 4:02 remaining.
“I was panicking but the players managed to maintain their composure and they were able to stop the momentum of Rain or Shine,” said Powerade head coach Bo Perasol.
JR Quinahan paced the E-Painters with 16 points and seven boards while Paul Lee and Chan finished with 14 markers apiece.
Most of Lee’s points came at the stripe as he went seven-of-seven.
The No.2 pick, however, only shot two-of-six from the two-point area. He did contribute with four rebounds and seven assists.
