ROS, TNT forge rubbers

MANILA, Philippines — Jhonard Clarito re-ignited the fire after Rain or Shine went on a cold spell in the third period and risked elimination against twice-to-beat NLEX.

And with Clarito’s tireless hustle plays leading their recovery, the No. 7 Elasto Painters staved off disaster and forced their No. 2 rivals to a knockout for a PBA Philippine Cup semifinal ticket with a 92-89 verdict last night at the PhilSports Arena.

The 6-foot-2 Clarito crashed the boards with abandon, hauling down a career-high 21 rebounds even as he shared team scoring honors with Adrian Nocum at 20 markers.

Clarito banged in 14 and grabbed 13 rebounds in the final 12 minutes as ROS picked up the lifesaver behind a 23-16 closing barrage en route to Saturday’s quarterfinal sudden death.

“Buwis buhay talaga si Jhonard,” said an appreciative coach Yeng Guiao of the ROS workhorse. “Any coach would appreciate the effort not only him but also his teammates put up.”

It was a roller-coaster game for the Elasto Painters, who led by 16 early on but yielded control, 69-73, after a 22-36 third-quarter exchange.

The NLEX upperhand even went up to eight, 77-69, after Kevin Alas scored the first four points of the fourth.

But then Clarito went to work, firing seven in a 10-3 counter that put ROS back in the driver’s seat and created momentum for the final push.

Keeping its grand slam quest alive, seventh-seeded TNT eked out a hard-earned 89-88 win over No. 3 Magnolia to likewise force a rubbermatch on their side of the Last-8.

RR Pogoy rifled in 30, sparking their fightback from 13 down and capping his heroics with a big defensive stop against Zav Lucero’s attempt at the last-gasp winner.