By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Veteran big man Beau Belga was in the zone during the Rain or Shine Elastopainter’s emphatic victory over the Converge FiberXers, 110-88, in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup on April 3, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Clicking in all facets of the game, the seasoned stretch power forward capped off their lopsided win with a stellar triple-double performance, tallying 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Belga kicked off his all-around efficient night with a quick drive down the lane and followed it up with a three-pointer from the top of the key off a pick-and-pop play.
In the second quarter, Belga orchestrated Rain or Shine’s offensive sets to perfection and dished out several assists to his teammates that helped the Elastopainters take a five-point lead heading into the second half
It was in the last two quarters that Belga dominated the game as he was able to bully his way inside the foul-plagued frontcourt of the FiberXers while leading the Rain or Shine in their fast break opportunities.
Belga wrapped up his dominance with a barrage of perimeter shots and trifectas in the fourth quarter while steering the Elastopainters to their highest-scoring frame of the game as they dropped 35 points in the final 12 minutes of the game.
“Ganun talaga ‘pag tumatanda ka, tumatalino ka. I think he’s rounded out his game pretty well. May opensa siya, meron siyang rebound,” said Rain or Shine’s mentor Yeng Guiao after Belga’s tremendous output.
Backstopping Belga was Rain or Shine’s star power forward Santi Santillan who contributed a double-double outing of 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, bruising combo guard Shaun Ildefonso played his best game of the season so far after chipping in 15 points while Andrei Caracut had 15 markers and 13 dimes.
The Elastopainters will look to continue their momentum on April 6, 2024, as they face the rolling Blackwater Bossing squad at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
