Derby Ace in semis

(From Business Mirror)

B-MEG Derby Ace foiled Rain or Shine’s gallant bid with a pulsating 105-100 overtime win on Sunday night to advance into the semifinal round of KFC-Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Cup at the jam-packed Araneta Coliseum.

Import Tony Washam was a point shy of reaching the 50-point plateau and came up with two crucial defensive stops in the extra period to help the Llamados win Game Five and wrap up the best-of-five quarterfinal series, 3-2.

The victory sent the Philippine Cup champion to a best-of-seven semifinal duel against San Miguel Beer.

“It’s really an incredible series. Every time we face Rain or Shine, they always push us to the limit,” said Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio, who admitted this was the toughest and most emotional in his more than 300 games in the league.

Washam, son of former Gilbey’s Gin import and namesake Tony Washam, was impressive on both ends and finished with a season-high 49 points, including six-of-nine treys.

Washam’s efforts were complimented by timely contributions from Rafi Reavis and Nino Canaleta in the final five minutes, where he was held to just a free throw.

Washam blocked a driving Sol Mercado and drew an offensive foul from Eddie Laure that set the tone for the Llamados’ domination in overtime, where they scored the first six points for a 96-90 lead.

Rain or Shine last threatened at 98-100 on Gabe Norwood’s drive. Reavis had huge putback and James Yap sealed the victory for the No. 3 seed Derby Ace with two free throws, 104-100, 10.1 ticks left.

Rico Maierhofer added 17 points, 15 he made in the first half, and together with Washam’s 27 markers, Derby Ace took a commanding 58-40 halftime.

Mercado took charge in the second half and almost single-handedly sent his team to the next round.

“Sol was an incredible athlete tonight,” said Gregorio on the Rain or Shine sophomore guard, who was limited to just one point in the first half but exploded for 22 in the third and fourth periods.

Mercado’s triple gave the Elasto Painters an 86-84 advantage, their first taste of the lead since 5-3 early in the first, with 2:45 left in regulation.

Rain or Shine clung to an 89-87 lead, when Canaleta hit a crucial three-pointer to put to give the lead back to the Llamados, 90-89, 47.3 seconds left.

Mercado had the chance to give the lead back to the Elasto Painters but split his free throws off Canaleta’s foul, 90-all.

Washam muffed a hurried three-pointer in the next Derby Ace possession and Mercado missed a step-back triple to send the game to overtime.

Norwood led Rain or Shine with 25 points, while Mercado added 23. Rod Nealy had a quiet 12 points as he took only eight shots and converted half of them.

GINEBRA ROUTS RAIN OR SHINE, ADVANCES TO Q’FINALS

(From PBA)

Putting on a performance that pleased their head coach landed the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the playoffs.

New import Christopher Daniels did a little of everything in Barangay Ginebra’s 115-88 romp over Rain or Shine Friday night that earned the Kings an outright passage to the quarterfinals of the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“It’s been a while since we played this way,” proclaimed Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, visibly relieved that his team managed to avoid the wildcard phase.

“We were focused and played as team the whole game. We didn’t play this well during the past few games,” said Uichico referring to their three-game losing streak at the close of the classification round.

Daniels, Ginebra’s fourth import this conference, turned in19 points on 8 of 14 shooting and grabbed as many rebounds in 31 minutes. He also had six assists, had three steals and two blocks -- not bad for a debuting import.

“For a start it’s not bad. But I want him to be more energetic and be more physical in our upcoming games,” Uichico said.

The Kings got off to a good start with some excellent shooting and held off the Elasto Painters in their tracks with a tough zone defense that limited the RoS to a 38 percent field goal shooting in the first half. The Elasto Painters, who normally won games with their 3-point shooting, managed just 9 of 31 attempts from long range.

Daniels and Jayjay Helterbrand scored 10 points apiece in the first half as the Kings built a commanding 62-47 advantage at the break. Helterbrand eventually finished with 17 points, including a 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, and had eight assists.

Ronald Tubid scored 14 points and Willie Miller and Mark Caguioa had 13 apiece for the Kings who will face Alaska in the best-of-five quarterfinals.

It was a frustrating loss for the Elasto Painters, who forced the playoff with the Kings by working hard to win their last two games in the classification round but were never up to the task when the going got tough.

They failed to match Ginebra’s aggressiveness and didn’t show the kind of urgency the Kings displayed.

As a result, they were relegated to the wildcard phase along with Coca-Cola, Sta. Lucia and Air21.

The battle for survival begins on Sunday with Rain or Shine taking on Air 21 in a knockout match and Coca-Cola battling Sta. Lucia. The winner of Sunday’s encounters will knock each other off on Wednesday to determine the last quarterfinalist opposite the San Miguel Beer-B-Meg Derby Ace second game.

Solomon Mercado led Rain or Shine with 24 points. Import Rod Nealy added 17 and 12 rebounds and Jeffrei Chan had 14 for the Elasto Painters, who gave up 26 points on 15 turnovers. (DBC)

The scores:

Barangay Ginebra 115 - Daniels 19, Helterbrand 17, Tubid 14, Miller 13, Caguioa 13, Intal 12, Menk 8, Hatfield 6, De Ocampo 6, Cortez 5, Ferriols 2, Wilson 0, Villanueva 0.

Rain or Shine 88 - Mercado 24, Nealy 17, Chan 14, Ibanes 7, Norwood 5, Reyes 5, Laure 5, Cruz 4, Telan 4, Arana 3, Arellano 0, Tang 0, Hrabak 0.

Quarterscores: 31-27, 62-47, 91-67, 115-88

Painters down Tigers

(From PBA Online)

Rain or Shine forced a knockout match for the last automatic quarterfinals seat after pulling off a 101-90 demolition of Coca Cola to end its elimination phase with a 9-9 slate.

The Elasto Painters will meet Barangay Ginebra on Friday for the remaining quarterfinal slot.

Rod Nealy had another solid showing for Rain or Shine with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists to follow up his 41-point explosion in their 113-111 thriller against Air 21 last game.

"The guys played their hearts out. We didn't rely on one guy on this game. It's really a total team effort," said Elasto Painters mentor Caloy Garcia who also got 17 markers from Solomon Mercado.

Gabe Norwood and Ryan Arana each had 13 markers for Rain or Shine while Tyrone Tang contributed 11 off the bench.

The win set up a do-or-die duel with the Kings, who are parading a new import in Chris Daniels.

"Despite losing their last few games, Ginebra is still one of the top teams in the league," said Garcia.

John Williamson led the Tigers with 23 points while Gary David added 16. Asi Taulava contributed 11 points and 18 rebounds for Coke, which was relegated to the wildcard stage against Sta. Lucia Realty.

Coke actually battled back from an 11-point deficit in the first half and even took a 78-77 lead on Williamson's split free throws with 9:48 left.

Neal and Mercado teamed up for a telling 12-2 run for an 89-80 advantage with 6:10 remaining.

The Tigers threatened at 84-89 but Arana, who sank the buzzer beater against the Express, stole a pass for a breakaway lay-up to seal the win for the Painters.

The league moved the playoff matches to Friday in deference to the inauguration of President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Wednesday, June 30. - www.abs-cbnnews.com

Scores:

Rain or Shine 101 � Nealy 26, Mercado 17, Norwood 13, Arana 13, Tang 11, Laure 7, Ibanes 6, Reyes 5, Hrabak 3, Chan 0, Telan 0.

Coca-Cola 90 � Williamson 33, David 16, Cruz 14, Macapagal 12, Taulava 11, Espino 8, Mendoza 6, Allera 0, Rodriguez 0, Lanete 0, Rizada 0, Gonzales 0.

Quarter scores: 28-23, 53-47, 75-77, 101-90.

DOWN BY 20, NEALY-LED RAIN OR SHINE BEATS AIR21 AT THE BUZZER

(From PBA)

The final offensive rebound fell on the hands of Ryan Arana and the wily guard quickly made the follow-up shot just before time expired to lift Rain or Shine to an incredible 113-111 come-from behind victory against Air 21 Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was an incredible turnaround for the Elasto Painters who rallied from a 28-point deficit in the third quarter to stay in contention for an outright quarterfinal berth in the PBA Fiesta Conference.

Rain or Shine turned the game around in the fourth quarter with suffocating defense and Rod Nealy’s timely 3-point shooting. Nealy, who took over from Jai Lewis, eventually finished with a game-high 41 points.

But that man of the hour was clearly Arana, who scored 11 of his 13 points fourth.

With the count tied at 111-111, the Painters worked the ball to Nealy, who misfired a 12-footer with 2.2 seconds remaining. But Arana, who was positioned underneath the basket, beat everyone else to the rebound to grab the loose ball and put it in the nick of time.

The Elasto Painters thus improved to a 8-9 (win-loss) record with their stunning victory. 

“We played lazy for three quarters. But Sol (Mercado), Gabe (Norwood), Ryan (Arana) and Rod refused to give up. For three quarters Leroy Hickerson (Air 21 import) was killing us with his offense but good thing we shut him down in the fourth,” said Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia.

Mercado scored 19 points and Norwood added 15, five assists and four steals for the Elasto Painters, who need to win against Coca-Cola at the close of the classification round on Sunday to arrange a playoff with Barangay Ginebra (9-9) for the last outright quarterfinal berth.

The setback was frustrating for the Express and a bitter pill to swallow for head coach Yeng Guiao and his team.

They already appeared to have a lock on the win when they built a 88-60 advantage 3:55 left in the third.

Then things went wayward in the fourth. They lost their focus on defense and their offense went sour. Hickerson, who finished with 34 points, shot just 2 of 3 in the fourth and didn’t score his first field goal of the period until the last 1:22.

Air21, which closed the classification round with a 4-14 mark, was hoping for a win to secure its place in the wildcard. The Express’ wildcard hopes now depend on a loss by Barako Coffee (3-14) to B-Meg Derby Ace on Sunday.

The Express led 98-88 when Nealy strung three successive treys then fed Norwood, who scored on a two-handed slam to put Rain or Shine ahead, 99-98, with 5:29 to go.

A basket by Billy Mamaril gave Air21 a one point lead but the Elasto Painters scored 12 of the next 15 points, including a three three-point shot each from Mercado, Nealy and Arana, for a 111-105 lead with 1:36 left.

But the Express refused to wilt under pressure and answered with six straight points to tie the count at 111-all with 19 seconds remaining. (DBC)

The scores:

Rain or Shine 113 - Nealy 41, Mercado 19, Norwood 15, Arana 13, Chan 5, Reyes 5, Cruz 4, Laure 4, Tang 2, Ibanes 2, Telan 2,Hrabak 1, Salangsang 0.

Air21 111 - Hickerson 34, Buenafe 21, Ritualo 11, Kramer 10, Alvarez 8, Mamaril 8, Gonzales 7, Williams 4, Belga 4, Matias2, Billones 2, Sharma 0, Arboleda 0.

Quarterscores: 24-34, 52-61, 78-95, 113-111

WITH FREEMAN BACK, BEERMEN ARREST SKID

Team	W	L	PCT
Talk N Text	14	2	0.875
San Miguel	12	5	0.706
Derby Ace	10	5	0.667
Alaska	10	6	0.625
Ginebra	9	7	0.562
Coca-Cola	7	9	0.438
Rain or Shine	7	9	0.438
Sta. Lucia	5	11	0.312
Air21	3	13	0.188
Barako Energy Coffee	3	13	0.188

(From PBA)

Gabe Freeman is back, and San Miguel Beer is also back in hot pursuit of an outright berth in the PBA Fiesta Conference semifinal round.

Freeman returned from a two-game respite, injecting the Beermen tremendous energy and enthusiasm in a 99-86 spanking of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium Friday night.

Freeman and his teammates came out strong on both halves and held on to notch a first win in their last four games.

The prolific SMB import poured in a personal conference high of 30 points before fouling out with victory in the bag for the team with a minute left to play.

He also came through with 21 rebounds, two assists and one steal as the Beermen nailed the crucial victory that kept the team in the lead in the race for the second outright semis berth.

San Miguel moved up to 12-5 -- two games clear of closest pursuer B-MEG Derby Ace (10-5).

The Llamados and the Talk n Text Tropang Texters (the first outright semis qualifiers) meet in an equally important tiff in the penultimate leg of the Phoenix Fuel PBA on Tour at the Tacloban Convention Center in Tacloban, Leyte Sunday.

The Elasto Painters blew hot and cold before eventually absorbing a third straight loss that sent them down to joint sixth with the Coca-Cola Tigers at 7-9.

Jai Lewis got 21 points, four rebounds and three assists in his farewell game in the league. He’s set to be replaced by former Ginebra import Rod Nealy.

“It’s a good win that got us out of a skid. It’s also a good win priming us up for a pivotal game versus Alaska Milk next Saturday,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

“It’s very evident that we got so much energy from Freeman. His return gave us another dimension in our game,” Tanquingcen added.

Freeman’s energy obviously rubbed off to his teammates.

Dondon Hontiveros fired five triples and wound up with 17 points, Jay Washington knocked in two treys and wound up with 15 points while Alex Cabagnot contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and the same number of assists.

The Beermen, beaten by the Coke Tigers and the TnT Tropang Texters in the absence of Freeman, came out smoking in the opening and third periods, leading by as many as 19 at 70-51.

The Elasto Painters, however, didn’t give up easily.

Lewis, Sol Mercado and Gabe Norwood teamed up in a fierce fightback that had Rain or Shine getting back in the thick of things at 73-75.

But San Miguel proved to have the staying power. (SB)

The scores:

San Miguel 99 - Freeman 30, Hontiveros 17, Washington 15, Cabagnot 12, Santos 9, Pennisi 6, Pena 5, Villanueva 3, Yeo 2, Miranda 0, Seigle 0, Ildefonso 0.

Rain or Shine 86 - Lewis 21, Mercado 21, Norwood 14, Tang 8, Arana 8, Chan 6, Telan 4, Cruz 2, Reyes 2, Arellano 0, Ibanes 0, Salangsang 0.

Quarters: 26-17, 46-42, 72-68, 99-86

Talk ‘N Text Extends Franchise Record Win Streak To 10

(From PBA)

Talk N’ Text head coach Chot Reyes had anticipated a tough encounter.

Nothing of that kind happen. Not even close.

As it turned out, the rematch between the Tropang Texters and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters was a mismatch.

Displaying the kind of urgency and aggressiveness expected from them by their head coach, the Tropang Texters dispatched their dazed opponents with relative ease, 104-85, Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

“If we take a look at history, (Rain or Shine) somehow always finds a way beat us. So they’re dangerous to play against and for that reason we didn’t take them for granted,” said Reyes, referring to the Wellbest franchise’s having always won at least one game in every elimination round of a conference against the Tropang Texters since entering the league in 2006.

That streak ended for Rain or Shine last night as the Tropang Texters’ mindset coming into the game, Reyes said, was to play tough on everybody.

“We defended not only their tough players – Sol Mercado and Gabe Norwood -- but we also made sure we do the same job  (Don) Dulay, (Jay-r) Reyes and (Jarvy) Cruz,” said Reyes, who recorded his longest winning streak since becoming a head coach in 1993.

Talk 'N Text’s 10th consecutive win – which further extended its franchise record and which recorded the longest winning streak by any team in the conference – enabled them tie idle defending champion San Miguel Beer on top of the standings with their identical 11-2 cards and brightened their chances of clinching an outright semifinals berth in the PBA Fiesta Conference.

“Four tough teams are on the horizon starting on Saturday with the game against Barangay Ginebra,” Reyes said. “Hopefully, we could stay consistent.”

Jason Castro came off the bench and scored 14 points and dished off six assists. Mark Cardona and Ranidel de Ocampo also had 14 apiece for the Tropang Texters, who seized control with a 20-7 run over an eight-minute span in the first quarter.

Talk 'N Text stretched a seven point first quarter lead to 23 points with another 22-6 binge in the second starring Castro, Ryan Reyes, Kelly Williams and Harvey Carey.

Williams turned in 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Tropang Texters who shot a conference-high 54.1 percent from the field and made 21 of 36 free throws.

The Tropang Texters built their biggest lead at 71-36 on two free throws by Cardona with 5:33 left in the third.

Rain or Shine import Jai Lewis led all scorers with 21 points that went with his 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one shotblock.

Jervy Cruz and Ryan Arana both came off the bench and scored 14 apiece for the Elasto Painters, who shot just 35.2 percent from the field, their lowest in the conference as Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado, their Top 2 locals, finished with only eight and seven points, respectively, on a combined 2-for-15 shooting from the floor.

Their sixth loss in 12 games snapped the Elasto Painters’ two-game winning streak and jeopardized the team’s chances of making it to the Top 5 and an outright spot in the quarterfinals. (DBC)

The scores:

Talk N' Text 104 - Castro 14, Cardona 14, De Ocampo 14, Williams 12, Carey 11, Reyes 9, Quinahan 8, Yee 6, Dillinger 5, Alapag 5, Daniels 4, Waters 2, Aban 0.

Rain or Shine 85 - Lewis 21, Cruz 14, Arana 14, Arellano 9, Chan 7, Dulay 7, Norwood 6, Mercado 5, Reyes 2, Tang 0, Ibanes 0, Laure 0, Hrabak  0.

Quarterscores: 24-17, 53-32, 82-54, 104-85

Elasto Painters Hold Off Kings For 2nd Win In Row

Team	W	L	PCT
San Miguel	11	2	0.846
Talk N Text	10	2	0.833
Ginebra	8	5	0.615
Derby Ace	7	5	0.583
Alaska	7	5	0.583
Rain or Shine	6	5	0.545
Coca-Cola	5	8	0.385
Sta. Lucia	4	8	0.333
Barako Energy Coffee	2	11	0.154
Air21	2	11	0.154

(From PBA)

Rain or Shine is back in strong contention for the Top Five following crucial back-to-back wins over Barako Energy Coffee and Barangay Ginebra.

The Elasto Painters wavered offensively at endgame but made key defensive stops to salvage an 84-83 decision over the Kings in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.

“We’re lucky to escape with the win. Good job on the boards and communication on defense helped us through,” said coach Caloy Garcia as his Elasto Painters held off the Kings for their sixth win against five losses.

“I keep on reminding the players if we want to go far, we have to beat teams right in front of us. I believe this win will help us big time. Malaki maitutulong nito sa paghabol namin pataas,” Garcia added.

The Elasto Painters are still outside the Top Five but they’re only half-game behind joint fourth placers the Alaska Aces (7-5) and the B-MEG Derby Ace Llamados (7-5) and a game adrift the third-running Ginebra Kings (8-5).

The Kings had a chance to steal the game but Willie Miller missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer. They suffered their first loss in their last five games.

The Elasto Painters took control most of the way before faltering at endgame, allowing the Kings to creep into the contest.

Down by one, 83-84, the Kings actually had three tries at going ahead. Mildon Ambres misfired two three-point attempts before Miller missed the team’s final offensive thrust.

“It helped that they missed the services of Eric Menk. Without Menk, we’re able to control the posts. It’s a big factor,” said Garcia.

Menk, Ginebra’s starting center who averages 11.1 points and 6.7 rebounds, sat out the game due to a recurring calf muscle injury.

The Elasto Painters did take advantage of Menk’s absence to dominate the first three quarters of play.

Already without Menk, the Kings later became depleted all the more with Ronald Tubid being thrown out of the game due to a flagrant infraction on Jireh Ibanes with 9:50 left to play.

Ibanes provided the Elasto Painters tremendous energy coming off the bench, and the former UP Maroon also helped the team get through in the end.

The 6-foot-11 forward finished with 15 points, his best output in the last two seasons.

Sol Mercado also put in 15 points despite playing hurt.

Jai Lewis piled up 18 rebounds and 12 points while Gabe Norwood got 13 points. (SB)

The scores:

Rain or Shine 84 - Ibanes 15, Mercado 15, Norwood 13, Lewis 12, Arana 9, Tang 6, Chan 6, Reyes 5, Laure 3, Cruz 0, Hrabak 0, Telan 0.

Ginebra 83 - Caguioa 28, Ambres 20, Tubid 12, Miller 10, Wilson 3, Hatfield 3, De Ocampo 3, Mamaril 2, Helterbrand 2, Villanueva 0.

Quarters: 25-18, 49-40, 69-63, 84-83

Priming

(From Business World)

Going into this year’s season-ending Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference, a lot was expected from the Rain or Shine Elastopainters. Following their breakthrough showing in the same tourney last year en route to a franchise-first top-four finish, the paint masters were deemed to elevate some more.

Halfway into the ongoing Fiesta however, Rain or Shine has yet to soar as expected. In eight games to date, the team has only a .500 record of 4-4 to show for.

But while the Elastopainters are somehow off the pace pundits have set for them, they are not exactly condemned to doom. Rather this writer would like to believe that the team is just priming and ready to make a go at it when it finds its footing.

I say so because despite its seeming "underachievement" Rain or Shine is not necessarily doing bad. It is posting steady numbers on both ends, enabling it to compete with the rest of the field with effectivity. Offensively, the Elastopainters are good for 91.1 points a game while at the same time limiting their opponents to just 90 points, showing a team that has a say on the tempo of matches each time.

Rain or Shine’s average losing deficit of 5.25 points, meanwhile, is a reflection of the team’s ability to stay in games, made all the more impressive by the fact that new faces fleck its roster.

Then there is the presence of a quality import in Jai Lewis. While the burly Lewis is not generating much buzz as he did last year in his first tour of duty in the PBA, still he is as effective as ever. His numbers of 18.9 ppg and 14.3 rpg have been sufficient to buoy Rain or Shine’s campaign, early struggles notwithstanding. More than the stats though, one thing going for Lewis is he has the confidence and trust of his teammates which has allowed for a more "harmonious" team dynamics, something other teams are still looking for at this stage.

Also making this writer bullish about Rain or Shine is the steady improvement of its players, in particular All-Star Gabe Norwood and Jay-R Reyes. Long known for their defensive prowess, the duo is showing much confidence on offense which has given the Elastopainters’ attack more flexibility. Currently gunning 13.4 and 11.2 points, respectively, Norwood and Reyes are proving to be steady offensive options for the team, in add-on to Lewis and Sol Mercado (17.1 ppg), which will be huge as they go deep in the tournament.

While Rain or Shine may not be creating much ripple just yet, observers should know better than overlooking them. The Elastopainters have a lot going for them and it could only be a matter of time when they start displaying their full strength.

Llamados Shackle Down Painters To Snap Alarming Skid

(From PBA Online)

The no. 1 defensive team held Rain or Shine to its lowest output this season, scoring a runaway 75-67 win Wednesday night in the main game of a PBA Fiesta Cup doubleheader at the Araneta Coliseum.

Three days after bowing to league leader San Miguel Beermen, 80-72, in a game that saw them lost grip of an 18-point lead following a fourth quarter meltdown, the Llamados turned on the table against the ElastoPainters this time, holding them to the fewest franchise score ever since entering the league in 2006.

The Elasto Painters had actually just scored 62 points with only a minute left in the low-scoring game, but avoided the ignominy by scoring five more points on a Jervy Cruz basket underneath and a perfectly set-up Jai Lewis three-pointer.

Still, the output was two less from the 69 points they scored in a similar losing cause against, ironically, Purefoods, last November 15 during the Philippine Cup.

James Yap and import Cliff Brown combined for 38 points and instigated a closing 8-0 run to give the Llamados a 73-62 lead entering the final two minutes.

Derby Ace improved to 4-3 in a tie for third place with Barangay Ginebra, a 101-100 winner over Air21 earlier.

James Yap topscored with 20 points and became the latest member of the league's 5,000-point club.

"I didn't practice for two days because of a naggin pain on my thigh," said Yap, recalling how he banged his leg against Brown during the Llamados' last outing against San Miguel.

"I was given a rest by the coaching staff. The rest has helped a bit somehow as it eased the pain a bit."

Brown added 18 points and 19 rebounds for Derby Ace, which led by as much as 55-41 in the third period.

Rain or Shine suffered its second straight loss (3-4), but made a big comeback from that 15-point deficit behind the hustle and scoring of Jireh Ibanes and Ryan Arana bridging the end of the third period and early into the fourth.

Sol Mercado's driving lay up, with a foul to boot from Marc Pingris, brought the Elasto Painters to within 62-65. Mercado however, missed the bonus free throw.

But Rain or Shine wouldn't score again in the next five minutes, allowing the Llamados to put together a run of their own that sealed the outcome of the match. - RCJ, GMANews.TV

Scores:

Derby Ace 75 - Yap J. 20, Brown 18, Maierhofer 9, Timberlake 7, Canaleta 6, Yap R. 5, Adducul 4, Allado 4, Reavis 2, Artadi 0, Pingris 0.

Rain or Shine 67 - Lewis 14, Norwood 9, Mercado 9, Cruz 8, Ibanes 6, Reyes 5, Hrabak 5, Arana 4, Chan 3, Tang 2, Laure 2, Arellano 0, Telan 0.

Quarters: 22-17, 39-31, 61-52, 75-67

Sizzling SMB Streaks To Fifth Straight Win Over Rusty RoS

(From PBA)

The All-Star break affected San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine in contrasting fashions.

No less than the teams’ respective coaches admitted this when the Beermen pulled off a cruising 105-97 win Friday to solidify their hold on the PBA Fiesta Conference leadership at the Araneta Coliseum.

Hardly affected by the 12-day layover from their last game and the recent mid-season spectacle in Puerto Princesa City, the Beermen picked up their game the most from midway in the second quarter on to lead by as many as 23 points twice, the last at 92-69.

“Medyo napaganda ‘yung break dahil napahinga ang mga players,” said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen following the win that was his team’s fifth straight, jacking its win-loss record to 6-1.

“At the same time we were also able to work on several things, conduct practice and all those worked somehow to our advantage.”

Jay Washington, who led all scorers with a personal season-high 23 points, totally agreed.

“Everybody was able to get some rest during the break and that helped us a lot coming into this game,” said Washington, who drilled in three triples and added nine rebounds.

The defeat was Rain or Shine’s third in six games and coach Caloy Garcia blamed it all on his team’s inability to match SMB’s tenacity off the boards, where the Elasto Painters wound up with a 42-60 disadvantage.

But he also cited the long break his team had since their last game April 16, which seemed to have dulled their edge, and to the absence of All-Star performers Gabe Norwood, Sol Mercado, Jervy Cruz, Jeff Chan and Marcy Arellano.

Beermen Arwind Santos, Dondon Hontiveros and Jonas Villanueva also saw action in the All-Stars, but there’s no comparison, insisted Garcia. “Sa kanila, kahit ilan ang mawala All-Stars pa rin ang team nila. Kami hindi,” he said.

Jai Lewis led the Elasto Painters with 20 points and 12 rebounds, but he was held to just six points in the last three quarters.

Mike Hrabak went a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc for 17 points and Mercado and Tyrone Tang were the only other RoS players in double figures.

Gabe Freeman was his usual all-around self, netting 18 points on top of 15 rebounds. Dorian Pena added 13 boards while Dondon Hontiveros also had nine boards that helped stoke Garcia’s frustration at his charges.

“Today we simply played with no heart and allowed ourselves to be killed by San Miguel off the boards,” Garcia fumed. “I told my players before the game that we had to control the boards and we did not do that.”

Freeman got slapped with a technical foul for shoving Mark Telan after the latter’s hard foul on the SMB import underneath the basket with the count at 96-79, still 6:10 to go.

That was one of the very few times in the game when RoS showed some fire.

Washington was the hottest Beerman in the third period as he scattered 12 points anchored on two triples and fueled the team’s charge to an 88-65 lead before heading into the fourth with an 88-69 cushion.

Things started falling apart for the Elasto Painters in the second quarter, when they got outscored, 23-7, in the last 6:18 to fall behind by 64-49 at the half.

Joseph Yeo had six points with some hangtime moves in that surge with Danny Ildefonso and Santos adding four each.

Lewis was all set to surpass his conference average of 18.2 ppg as early as the first quarter, when he already had 14. But RoS still found itself trailing by 23-34.

Freeman had 10 points and eight rebounds in the opening period, but it was Alex Cabagnot who chiefly set the table with five assists.

It took two free throws by Mercado and a buzzer-beating layup by Tang inside the last 51 seconds of the period that made it a seven-point game.

Picking up from where he left off, Tang boomed in two triples and a left-handed lay-up to lead a sizzling comeback that brought RoS within 42-43.

The scores:

San Miguel Beer 105 - Washington 23, Freeman 18, Hontiveros 13, Villanueva 8, Yeo 8, Ildefonso 8, Miranda 6, Pennisi 6, Pena 6, Santos 5, Cbagnot 4, Holper 0.

Rain or Shine 97 - Lewis 20, Hrabak 17, Mercado 16, Tang 12, Telan 6, Norwood 5, Arellano4, Chan 4, Ibanes 4, Arana 3, Cruz 2, Reyes 2, Laure 2.

Quarterscores: 34-27, 64-49, 88-69, 105-97.