Rain or Shine, Coke stay in hunt

MANILA, Philippines - Rain or Shine and Coca-Cola hurdled Air21 and Sta. Lucia Realty, respectively, to remain in the hunt for an outright quarterfinals seat in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Rod Nealy returned to the local pro league with a flourish, helping Rain or Shine pull off a giant come-from-behind 113-111 win over Air21.

Coca-Cola, meanwhile, made it three in a row with John Williamson in tow as it finished strong in the second quarter and sustained the heat in the final half for an 87-76 win over Sta. Lucia.

The Elasto Painters and the Tigers, remaining tied with similar 8-9 win-loss cards, clash in a crucial match tomorrow, with the winner forcing a playoff with the Ginebra Kings for the last outright slot in the quarters.

“We’ll surely go for it with the opportunity still there,” said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia.

“Our efforts would be meaningless if we don’t get the outright quarters slot,” said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol.

Nealy, a former Ginebra reinforcement, debuted with Rain or Shine with 41 points and 16 rebounds, the bulk of which he delivered in the fourth quarter enabling the Elasto Painters to overcome a huge 28-point deficit in the third period.

The Elasto Painters picked up their game at the right time and stole the game away from the badly stunned Express on a follow-up shot by Ryan Arana at the buzzer.

With an 8-9 win-loss record, Rain or Shine has a chance to force a playoff with Barangay Ginebra (9-9) for the last outright quarters slot, but it needs to beat Coca-Cola at the close of the double-round elimination phase tomorrow.

Rain or Shine stalled Air21 at 4-14, thus keeping the wildcard door open for Barako Energy Coffee (3-13).

The Coffee Masters force a playoff with the Express if they beat the B-MEG Derby Ace Llamados also at the close of the elims tomorrow.

Nealy banged away four three-pointers and totaled 17 points in the fourth quarter as he led a mighty Rain or Shine comeback from a 28-point deficit at 58-86.

The former Houston Baptist hitman and the Elasto Painters came through with a near-impossible effort, pulling off the biggest come-from-behind win in the league since Talk n Text survived a 30-point deficit versus Burger King in November last year.

“I have no idea how we’re able to do that,” said Nealy. “We just kept on playing and chipping in. Basketball is really a long game.”

Down by 17 after three quarters, the Elasto Painters put the pressure on the Express and they got away with a stirring 21-3 run to race ahead at 99-98 with 5:40 left to play.

After Ronjay Buenafe broke their long silence with a three-pointer, Nealy answered with three straight triples to fire up the Painters.

Nealy made another trey a little later then Arana and Sol Mercado had their own triples as Rain or Shine even built a six-point spread at 111-105 with time down to 1:36.

Air21 made its own chase with LeRoy Hickerson and Doug Kramer combining for six straight points as the Express tied at 111-all with 17 ticks to go.

The Elasto Painters went to Nealy in their final possession with the returning import ordered to take the shot in the dying seconds.

Nealy’s shot from the right quartercourt overhit the rim but Arana was in the right place at the right time, going for a putback at the buzzer.

Hickerson exploded for 30 points in the first three quarters but was held down to four in the payoff period.

The entire Air21 team was limited to 13 in the last quarter.