Powerade Tigers vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

MANILA, Philippines – Top rookies Jayvee Casio and Marcio Lassiter delivered big plays in the crunch and Powerade survived a six-point deficit in the last 1:44 of play, shocking Rain or Shine, 110-108, to move into the threshold of the PBA Philippine Cup finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

The two former Smart Gilas mainstays scored all of the game’s last seven points, carrying the Tigers to the pulsating victory and the pivotal 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven semifinal series.

Casio, the top draft pick, brought Powerade back into the game, 107-108, with a free throw and a three-point play then Lassiter pushed the Tigers ahead to stay, 109-108, with three charities.

The Elasto Painters had a chance to salvage the game but Jeff Chan missed a three-point shot then Beau Belga muffed a 10-footer inside the last five seconds.

“I know that there’s going to be a game in the series that Jayvee will deliver for us. There’s a time in this game that Rain or Shine’s defense was really choking us, but Jayvee found a way to create plays for us,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol.

“The credit belongs to him tonight,” Perasol also said of the 5-foot-10 guard who finished with 25 points, three assists, one rebound and one steal.

Gary David missed what could have been a seventh straight 30-point game just by two while Lassiter added 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Casio, David and Lassiter, Powerade’s Big Three, scored all of the team’s last 16 points.

Doug Kramer chipped in double-double numbers with 10 points and the same number of rebounds, helping the Tigers close in on a first finals appearance since the 2003 Reinforced Conference.

“The series is not yet over. It will be too far if we don’t do our job,” said Perasol.

The Elasto Painters didn’t do theirs in the final minute thus they blew away what had looked like a won ball game.

TY Tang played quality minutes in the fourth quarter, making seven points, two assists and one rebound, leading a charge that opened a 106-100 margin for Rain or Shine entering the final minute.

Coach Yeng Guiao, however, opted to return Paul Lee in favor of Tang in the last two minutes, and the Elasto Painters failed to buy a basket again till the end.

The Tigers eventually surged ahead as they ran a swift transition play after JR Quinahan missed a three-pointer with Casio issuing an assist that set up Lassiter for a drive.

Lassiter missed but drew a foul from Quinahan, putting the Fil-Am forward to the line for the go-ahead charities, 109-108.

The two teams engaged in a fierce battle marked by 13 deadlocks and 18 lead changes – both second most in the season.

Curiously, the two teams themselves were involved in the game that produced the most numbers of deadlocks and lead changes with 18 and 21.