By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Beau Belga’s stellar start in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup is nothing but a good sign for the Rain or Shine Elastopainters.
After several failed post-season trips during the past conferences, the Elastopainters are turning back the hands of time and just extended its winning streak to five straight games after taking down the NorthPort Batang Pier, 115-105, on April 17, 2024, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Leading the way for Rain or Shine was their veteran power forward Belga who reset his new career-high in points after dropping 28 markers.
Belga pulled off his best performance of the conference so far after only missing five attempts from the field out of his 17 total shots.
The former PBA champion finished with a 12/17 shooting from the field including 3/5 from the three-point territory to go alongside 13 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
It was Belga who set the tone for the Elastopainters after single-handedly torching the Batang Pier with his wide array of offensive moves down the block and from the three-point line.
In just the first quarter, Belga already amassed a total of 10 points and steered Rain or Shine to a momentum-building 22-3 start in the opening frame.
After the Rain or Shine offensive snowball led by Belga, the Elastopainters just didn’t look back and scored the wire-to-wire victory to put themselves in a favorable spot for a postseason contention.
Jhonard Clarito was also in the zone against NorhPort, scoring 17 points while grabbing seven huge rebounds for the Elastopainters.
Meanwhile, Rookie floor general sensation Adrian Nocum maintained his steady production for Rain or Shine and contributed 16 markers.
“Natutuwa kami dahil consistent si Beau, kailangan niya mag-double time kasi kulang kami sa malaki,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao.
The Elastopainters will look to stretch its winning streak to six straight games on April 20, 2024, as they face the star-studded Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados at the Tiaong Convention Center.
