By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Andrei Caracut turned into Rain or Shine’s money man after hitting the biggest shots during their huge PBA Governor’s Cup quarterfinal series win over the Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados on October 5, 2024, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
With the game on the line and the Elastopainters needing one final win to advance to the semifinal stage of the import-laced conference, Caracut put Rain or Shine on his shoulders and scored three huge buckets in the remaining five minutes to eliminate Magnolia from playoff contention, 113-103.
When Magnolia threatened to steal the game after trimming their deficit to just two points, 101-99, Caracut flipped the switch and went beast mode, kicking things off with a fancy looping floater that kissed the board.
That shot silenced Magnolia and ended their scoring run but the former DLSU daredevil guard didn’t end his heroics there as he followed it up with a difficult step-through layup over the tough defense of Paul Lee to increase their cushion to six points, 105-99.
After a Calvin Abueva tip-in that pulled Magnolia to within four points, Caracut drained the cold-blooded dagger after fading away to his left, putting Rain or Shine up again by six points in the last minute of the dogfight.
Unfortunately for the Chicken Timplados, their open looks from the perimeter failed to find the net and was capitalized by Rain or Shine who drained four crucial points from the charity stripe when Magnolia chose to play the foul game.
Caracut capped off his clutch outing with 14 points including eight out of Rain or Shine’s final 12 points in the last frame.
Rain or Shine had to dig deep after going down by as much as 12 points in the first half when the Chicken Timplados found their range from the three-point area in the opening quarter.
The trio of Jerrick Ahanmisi, Aries Dionisio, and Rome dela Rosa teamed up to host Magnolia’s trey party but all of a sudden, the tables turned in the second quarter when Rain or Shine sped up their tempo.
With the ball moving faster and Rain or Shine’s guards rotating well without the leather, their fluid offense stabilized and helped them generate more open looks.
As Rain or Shine completed the comeback, the game became a mano-a-mano affair as both squads traded scoring runs but Rain or Shine responded better in the crucial stretch of the fourth when Caracut exploded backstopped by the energy plays from their import Aaron Fuller.
Fuller feasted in the shaded lane for Rain or Shine and top-scored his squad with 26 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
“Sabi ko lang sa kanila, play this game for yourselves, your teammates, your family. It will go a long way in building respect for yourself. And I think they gave it their 100 percent,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao after the tightly-contested win over Magnolia.
