AS good as hoped – and more.
Solomon Mercado proved Rain or Shine management’s trust in him was well-founded, leading the team to a 120-102 stunner over Air21 Sunday in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome.
With Eddie Laure, Jayr Reyes and Ryan Arana chipping in their ample share, the Elasto Painters took full control of the game right in the second quarter to lead by as much as 109-89 and easily carve the virtual breakthrough win of sorts.
Air21 was coming off a sterling conference and was expected by most to simply roll over the former Welcoat team that finished dead-last in its first two seasons with the league. Instead, the Express were the ones who showed the jitters and frustrations only newcomers are usually prone to and thus ceded only their second game in nine total meetings with their foes.
The win also marked the first time the Elasto Painters triumphed in an opening assignment, but head coach Caloy Garcia was quick to stifle their supporters’ rising hopes, pointing out it was just one game.
“Sana hindi maging complacent ang mga bata because of this,” said the man who is at the team’s helm for only the second conference. “But definitely this is a very different team and they showed they are capable of playing with the big boys.”
It also put the Elasto Painters on track for their immediate goal of avoiding a 10th place finish like in their first four conferences since entering the league in 2006.
“Again, this is just our first game and we’re still the youngest team in the league. But ipinakita nilang they’re really made for the PBA. Iba talaga ang puso ng mga bata,” Garcia stated.
Typifying Air21’s self-destruction were veterans Homer Se and Wynne Arboleda and third-year pro Arwind Santos, who were ejected one after another.
Ranidel de Ocampo paced Air21 with team-highs of 22 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. But the Express were simply headed for defeat in the absence of the other key cogs in their runner-up finish behind Barangay Ginebra in the last Fiesta Conference.
Doug Kramer added a career-high 16 points while JC Intal and Se added 10 each.
Laure, part of the Mercado-Devance deal that also involved Rain or Shine’s 2010 and 2011 second round picks going to Alaska, had 20 points for his highest output the last six seasons while Arana and Reyes wound up with 17 points each.
They also helped atone for Gabe Norwood’s shaky debut that saw this year’s top overall pick notching just six points, two rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes. He, however, was responsible for Arboleda’s ejection by drawing the latter’s second technical foul at the 1:13 mark of the third period.
It was the same infraction that Santos emulated in the final 7:04 mark but against Mercado, who also had seven rebounds, four assists and just one turnover in 34 minutes of action.
But the Express downfall began to take shape early, when Se was called for a flagrant foul-penalty 2 for planting an elbow on Mark Andaya’s face during a rebound play, 4:17 to go in the second quarter.
That infraction came at the height of Rain or Shine’s 19-2 run that gave it a 53-41 spread and primed it up for more runs that quelled Air21's protracted uprisings. (NCo)
The scores:
Rain or Shine (120) – Mercado 29, Laure 20, Arana 17, Reyes 17, Wainwright 10, Tang 7, Norwood 6, Ibanez 5, Andaya 3, Dulay 2, Isip 2, Salangsang 2.
Air21 (102) – De Ocampo 22, Kramer 16, Intal 15, Se 10, Santos 9, Quinahan 8, Cruz 7, David 5, Billones 4, Canaleta 3, Villanueva 2, Arboleda 1.
Quarterscores: 24-31; 61-53; 89-75; 120-102.
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