The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters used a strong third quarter and managed to hang on during the last period to escape with a 78-71 win, snapping the four-game winning streak of Purefoods, on Valentine’s day, held at Dipolog City Sports Center.
Both teams raised to a slow start with their respective bigs missing shots inside the paint and from the high post. With Rick Jackson taking control of the boards, Rain or Shine established an early 15-8 lead on a wide open jumpshot by Beau Belga. The lead extended to as high as eight for the Painters but as the subs came in for the Star Hotshots, Purefoods rallied to finish the first quarter on a 9-1 run, sealed by a jumper by Joe Devance.
The second unit for Purefoods provided a much-needed spark during the start of the second canto as their free throws gave them a 25-18 lead with just two minutes passing by. With import Daniel Orton anchoring the defense and the subs providing the offense, Purefoods was able to hold the lead for the remainder of the second quarter.
Down by eight with 2:03 left in the first half, Rain or Shine unleashed six unanswered points to counter and enter halftime down by two.
With momentum shifting towards the Painters, they quickly scored baskets to grab the lead during the third period. Jeff Chan punched in two triples and Paul Lee added a long-range heave to give Rain or Shine a 51-42 separation with just four minutes into the third period. The offensive game of both teams was also showcased in the third as the reinforcements also had time finding the bottom the net.
After Barroca sunk in a jumper to trim the deficit down to four, both teams became scoreless for the next three minutes. Rain or Shine responded with big baskets to keep the Hotshots at bay as they ended the third period on a Belga layup.
In the fourth quarter and the reinsertion of Orton back in the Purefoods lineup, the reinforcement punched in a triple to slice the Rain or Shine lead. After a timeout, birthday celebrant Paul Lee dialed in his own version to restore a nine point cushion for the Painters.
After a tightly-contested sequence of events, Allein Maliksi converted to give Purefoods a shot for a comeback. However, Orton and Alex Mallari missed three of four free throws, while Belga banked in a triple to deny the Purefoods hope to claw back into the ballgame.
Rain or Shine outplayed Purefoods in assists, 20-8 and had more blocks, 8-2. They were also plus 24 from downtown as they sprayed in eight more triples while Purefoods missed on 19 free throws.
Paul Lee led the Elasto Painters with 18 points including three 3-point shots, eight rebounds and three blocks. Jackson and Chan added 12 apiece in the win.
The win gives Rain or Shine a 3-2 slate and a solo fifth place in the standings while Purefoods silde to a 4-1 record.
The scores:
Rain or Shine (78) Lee 18, Jackson 12, Chan 12, Belga 10, Norwood 7, Tiu 6, Arana 6, Uyloan 3, Quinahan 2, Tang 2, Cruz 0, Almazan 0
Purefoods (71) Orton 23, Barroca 11, Maliksi 10, Mallari 7, Devance 6, Melton 5, Pingris 4, Pennisi 3, Taha 1, Yap 1, Reavis 0,
Quarterscores: 18-20, 38-40, 60-53, 78-71
