Rafi Reavis seemed to have found the fountain of youth and gave Magnolia the much-needed boost especially at a time when the Hotshots were missing the services of Calvin Abueva.

With Magnolia not only needing to bounce back from a deflating loss where its offense was limited to just 51 points but also win to formally clinch a spot to the next round, the 46-year-old elder statesman gave the Hotshots the stabilizing presence it needed.

Reavis was a picture of poise even when Terrafirma was rallying back from double-digit deficit, collecting important rebounds that translated to timely points to give Magnolia a close 108-100 win.

“I think I just got lucky, really. If I’m open in some spots, I try to make the best of that. If you’ve been following me over the years, you know I don’t really care about points,” said Reavis, who racked up his first double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds in the last four years.

“One of my teammates scored, we all scored. So I’m just trying to play with a sense of energy and be a leader to my team on and off the court,” added Reavies, currently the oldest active player in the league.

Magnolia head coach underlined the luxury of having Reavis not only on the court but also in the dugout, providing the leadership the team needs.

“Rafi is a big factor for us, not only on the court, but outside the court. He’s our leader, he’s our captain. We talked about being consistent on everything and he’s the one taking care of the team,” said Victolero.

“He’s a veteran, experienced. He knows what to do. The other young guys, I told them na we need to copy what Rafi did because he’s here for 20-plus seasons. So he knows what to do,” added the veteran coach.