MANILA: Barako Bull passed a character test with flying colors and San Miguel Beer was all about character that was also oozing with so much talent that even the tallest team in the PBA Governors’ Cup proved no match.

The Energy, with Liam McMorrow continuing to be a terror underneath and RR Garcia and Joseph Yeo draining shots from the outside with impunity, waylaid perennial title contender Rain or Shine, 112-103, for the first quarterfinal berth in the season-closing conference.

A bit later, the Beermen, with under-rated point guard Chris Ross missing a triple double by an assist and a rebound, totally dominated Barangay Ginebra and the returning Greg Slaughter on the way to a 100-85 demolition job at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

McMorrow was an immovable force underneath, shooting 32 points and grabbing 25 rebounds, a performance he spiked with several rim-rattling slams as the Energy rebounded from their first loss of the tournament to reclaim the lead at 5-1.

Barako Bull coach Koy Banal said that being 5-1 in the standings is nothing but a number, and what impressed him the most is the way his wards handled adversity with Rain or Shine never showing any signs of quitting.

“The players are showing that they have character,” Banal told reporters after pinning a fourth loss in five games on the Elasto Painters. “I reminded them at halftime (inside the locker room) that if there’s a team that knows how to play this game the right way, it is Rain or Shine.

“And to beat this team, we have to play the right way as well.”

Wendell McKines played his finest offensive game for the Painters by shooting 41 points, with super point guard Paul Lee contributing 21.

McKines also had 17 rebounds, but the duo got very little help from everyone else with Jeff Chan returning from sick bay to shoot just two points and JR Quinahan, after shooting 24 in a victory over Globalport in Dubai, also contributing just two points.

Garcia tossed in 17 of his career-high 26 points in the second half, while McMorrow had 18, including 10 in the final frame that helped put Rain or Shine away.

“RR (Garcia) was just fantastic,” Banal said in praise of his point guard, who had two triples in the fourth. “He and Joseph (Yeo) were just fantastic tonight.”

Rain or Shine, with the loss, cannot now afford to lose any more of its remaining six games to gain a shot at a top four slot.

There will only be eight teams advancing to the quarterfinal phase but the bottom four will have to beat a higher-ranked foe two straight times to make the Final Four.

And for coach Yeng Guiao, the goal for the conference has now become a modest one: just make the playoffs.

“I hope it’s not too late,” said Guiao. “If we’re just able to weather the storm, even if we fall (in the bottom half), we still have a chance to upset the higher team. We might be able to gain our stride at that time.”

The 7-foot Slaughter made his return to active duty and was rudely welcomed by the Beermen and June Mar Fajardo.

After sitting out the first five Ginebra games, Slaughter made his first start of the conference and couldn’t figure in the equation and failed to rescue Ginebra from dropping to 2-4.

With five games left, the Gin Kings are practically in the same boat as the Painters and Ginebra needs to do something to check the slip in performance of import Orlando Johnson.

Johnson, after shooting in the high-40s in the first two games and taking an average of 39.5 points an outing in Sunday’s game, was held down to just 22 – five in the final two quarters – as the field has now found a way to stopping the NBA veteran.

Arizona Reid scored 27 points and Fajardo had 10 and 20 rebounds for the Beermen, who also drew double-digit scores from Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos.

Santos, the MVP two seasons ago, also had a string of five crucial points in the stretch that kept the Gin Kings at bay.