Games on Wednesday: (Araneta Coliseum)

5:15 p.m. – Meralco vs. Shopinas.com
7:30 p.m. – B-Meg vs. Alaska


FOR the second straight game, Rain or Shine survived a thriller.

The Elasto Painters came through with a key defensive stop and Jeff Chan a crucial block off Gary David in brilliant plays down the stretch, carving out a 96-93 win over Powerade last night to claim a share of the lead in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

One of the worst defensive ball clubs last season, Rain or Shine proved this time that it can also shut down the enemy in a critical possession. The Painters forced the Tigers to commit a 24-second shot-clock violation with 33 ticks left to play, before Chan rejected a three-point shot by David at the deep right corner after Celino Cruz bungled two free throws.

David, the reigning scoring champion, actually recovered the ball after the block, but was pressed for time to launch another attempt, and his shot didn’t even hit the rim as time expired.

Rain or Shine thus escaped another close game after holding off Ginebra, which was playing Alaska as of press time, on opening day Sunday, 94-93, to join Petron at the top of the standings with 2-0 (win-loss) records.

“I consider this as a good sign,” said Painters’ coach Yeng Guiao. “We’re winning close games. Before our tendency was to collapse but now we proved that we can close out close games.”

On a night when the league drew its highest attendance with 10,121, rookie Paul Lee wasn’t at his finest decision-making form. He took an ill-advised three-point shot late in the game when Powerade was at penalty, and failed to get into a rhythm because of early foul trouble.

But the former University of the East standout picked No. 2 in the August Draft still came away with a game-high 19 points marked by his first connection from the three-point area, an output he shared with Chan.

“Paul Lee made one or two misjudgements,” said Guiao. “He’s still a rookie, but as I said he’s special. He’s getting together well with our players and maganda naman ang samahan. The chemistry is getting better.”

Yet it was Lee who gave Rain or Shine the breather it needed. He knocked in two pressure-filled free throws with 57 seconds to go to make it a 96-93 ball game.

In the ensuing play, the Painters defended the shaded lane superbly, foiling attempts by David and Marcio Lassiter for a shot-clock turnover.

The Painters were left with 33 seconds in the game clock, and Lee was the one tasked to take the shot. But instead of driving to the basket, Lee launched a three-point shot at the top of the key that missed, leaving Powerade with eight seconds and the chance to send the game into extra time.

Jireh Ibanez fouled Cruz four seconds into the Tigers’ possession, and Powerade’s opening to send the game into overtime was obvious: convert the first attempt and deliberately miss the second and hope for an offensive rebound.

But Cruz’s first shot rattled out, forcing him to intentionally muff the second. The incident nearly turned out to be a blessing in disguise after David grabbed the loose ball.

David swiftly set off to the right corner for the potential game-tying triple, but Chan sprinted to reject the shot.

Gabe Norwood added 11 points and Ryan Arana had 10.

Doug Kramer scored 16 points to lead Powerade while David was held to only 14 points after scoring 31 in a 98-87 win over Shopinas last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, David Regullano, the 6-foot-4 player famous for wearing black Converse shoes in the PBA, passed away recently, according to the PBA.

Regullano played for San Miguel Beer and then for U-Tex during his stint.

His most memorable performance, however, came before the PBA’s inception in 1975, being one of the very few assigned to guard South Korean dead-shot Shin-Dong Pa during the Finals of 1973 ABC Championships here the Philippines won, 90-78.

Regullano’s remains lie in state at the Funeraria Paz in Paranaque, the PBA said.


The scores

Rain or Shine (96) — Lee 19, Chan 19, Norwood 11, Arana 10, Quinahan 9, Rodriguez 8, Belga 7, Buenafe 6, Ibanes 3, Cruz 2, Matias 2.

Powerade (93) - Kramer 16, David 14, Anthony 13, Lingganay 12, Lassiter 12, Calimag 11, Cruz 7, Martinez 3, Adducul 3, Crisano 2, Allera 0, Antonio 0.

Quarterscores: 21-21, 40-39, 68-65, 96-93.