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Rain or Shine repels Air21's furious end game comeback bid

Still in full control of its fate for the playoffs, Rain or Shine intends to make the most out of it.

Leaning on the timely lift given by their locals coupled with a rejuvenated defensive stance, the Elasto Painters overcame the hard-fighting Air21 Express Monday night with an 87-82 victory to get back on track in the PBA Commissioners Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Dragged into a tight finish after seeing its comfortable 13-point cushion trim down to just 78-80 with 1:14 left to play, Rain or Shine got clutch points from locals Paul Lee and Gabe Norwood while getting the job done collectively on the defensive end to survive the spirited fightback from Air21.

Undersized forward Jervy Cruz helped filled up the slack of foul-hobbled import Wayne Chism by firing away a team-high 13 points but it was the 6-foot-1 Lee who restored order and fully helped the Painters bounced back from a painful 82-85 defeat inflicted by pace-setting Talk ‘N Text (9-0) last Wednesday.

More importantly, Rain or Shine improved to 4-4 and momentarily shared the fifth spot with Meralco, which is battling struggling San Mig Super Coffee (4-3) as of posting time.

Import Wesley Witherspoon led all scorers with 23 points but Air21 still suffered its second straight setback and fifth overall against three wins, falling into a tie with Barangay Ginebra from seventh to eight spots.

An ample share of credit must be given to Lee, who attacked the lane and scored a crucial lay-up that stretched the Painters lead back to four, 82-78, with 64 seconds to go.

Then Chism, who suffered several crucial boo-boos in their lost to the Tropang Texters, made a pair of mental lapses, the last making a weak bounce pass to Norwood which was intercept by Air21 guard Eloy Poligrates who then scored an easy lay-up that kept them in the hunt at 82-84 going to the last 24.9 seconds.

Good thing, there was Lee to save the day anew as he calmly sank a pair of freebies off a pre-emptive foul from Witherspoon barely a second reduced from the game clock.

The 6-foot-7 Chism, who only had six points, somehow made a key defensive stop when he foiled a Joseph Yeo pass to Witherspoon despite falling on the ground that led to Norwood’s split in the other end, virtually sealing the deal with 21.9 seconds left.

Rain or Shine can put itself in a better position–a best-of-three affair–in the quarterfinals with another victory on Sunday against Barangay Ginebra also at the Big Dome.

Air21, meanwhile, is now facing a more daunting task as it will likely play with a twice-to-win handicap against either of the top two teams.
 
The Main Man: Although a non-factor majority of the match, Paul Lee made sure his presence would be greatly felt as he delivered four big points for the Painters in the stretch.
 
Honorable Mentions: Also coming up big for Rain or Shine were forward Jervy Cruz, Gabe Norwood and Chris Tiu.
 
Game Turning Point: After Air21 import Wes Witherspoon capped their 14-3 counterattack with a lay-up that pulled them within 78-80, Paul Lee doused cold water when he barreled his way to the hop and banked in a tough lay-up that turn the tide back to Rain or Shine’s favor going to the last 64 seconds.
 
He Said It:
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guaio: “This is a big win for us. We are trying to get ourselves out of seventh and eighth place.”
 
The scores:

RAIN OR SHINE 87 - Cruz 13, Lee 12, Nuyles 8, Rodriguez 8, Arana 7, Almazan 7, Tiu 7, Norwood 7, Chism 6, Chan 6, Belga 4, Tang 2, Teng 0.

AIR21 82 - Witherspoon 23, Taulava 15, Poligrates 13, Anthony 9, Villanueva 9, Yeo 8, Cardona 4, Borboran 1, Ramos 0, Burtscher 0.

Quarters: 18-13, 43-33, 62-55, 87-82