Rain or Shine’s Tiongson gains props for showing defensive mettle vs opposing imports

MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao tipped his hat to rookie Caelan Tiongson, who has been playing the role of import-stopper in the past couple of games.

Tiongson has been the primary defender of imports Justin Brownlee and Myke Henry in Rain or Shine’s past two games against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the NLEX Road Warriors.

After keeping Brownlee to just 18 points last Saturday, Tiongson was instrumental in the Elasto Painters’ come-from-behind win over NLEX on Wednesday evening. 

After scoring 31 points against Blackwater and 37 against the Phoenix Fuel Masters, Henry was held to just 21 points against Rain or Shine. 

While he shot an efficient 9-of-14 from the field and scored 14 points in the first quarter, the import only had two points in the second, two points in the third, and three points in the final three frames.

“Offensively, we were not bad but we had a bad start on the defensive end. I was shocked with Myke Henry’s performance. He had a good start, but he had foul trouble,” Guiao told reporters in Filipino. 

“Caelan Tiongson did an excellent job shutting him down. Like what he did with Justin Brownlee, he was crucial, making the stops. The points he produced for us was just a bonus,” he added. 

The 32-year-old Tiongson, a rookie, had 10 points and three rebounds on Wednesday. However, he had an assist and a block and recorded a +- of +21. 

“I think it was a big thing that we were able to stop their momentum, playing good D on Henry… And, we were going into this game looking at how we can manage the game of the import.”

Henry was the second leading scorer of NLEX in the game. Robert Bolick had 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting. The star guard, though, notched a -24 in the game. 

“We were also able to contain Bolick. Although he did a lot, he was not as dominant as he usually will be with the ball,” Guiao said. 

“On defense, we had to make the stops. What Caelan did, and what our guards did to Bolick, I think that’s the key.” 

Rain or Shine will try to win its fourth straight game as they face the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday.