Chism fires E-Painters closer to top

BASKETBALL BALLET Jeff Chan of Rain or Shine and Val Acuña of Blackwater mirror each other’s moves as they dispute the rebound in last night’s game at Smart Araneta Coliseum. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines — Wayne Chism bucked early foul trouble again to help Rain or Shine clip Blackwater, 102-98, as the Elasto Painters crept closer to a top-two berth in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Chism finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, scattering the bulk of his outputs in the final three periods and leading Rain or Shine to its seventh win in 10 games for a temporary tie with Talk ‘N Text and Purefoods.

The defending champion Star Hotshots, though, have a chance to become the first team to win eight as they were still battling Meralco at press time.

Paul Lee scored 14 points and Beau Belga 11 and the Painters could have won by a much bigger margin if not for what coach Yeng Guiao later said was the referees’ misscalls in the waning minutes.

“Kahit nanalo ka, wala kang kunsuwelo sa panalo (You may have won but you’re not happy),” an obviously dejected Guiao told reporters. “The refs stopped doing their jobs. The players need to focus on the game and the refs need to focus on their jobs too.”

The Painters have KIA Motors and the hulking PJ Ramos as final foes tomorrow, and a win would more or less give them one of the two twice-to-beat privileges in the first round of the playoffs.

Marcus Douthit led the Elite with 34 points and Val Acuña scattered a career-high 20 but Blackwater still went down to its eighth loss in 10 outings.

“We still need to win on Sunday (tomorrow),” Guiao said. “KIA is a different team now than it was in the last conference. They’re giant killers and they still have a chance to make the next round.”

Rain or Shine broke away for good halfway through the third period with a highlight play featuring an outlet pass by Belga to Chism, who flicked a volleyball pass to a streaking TY Tang for a layup. That gave the Painters a 70-55 lead.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra and Globalport slug it out in a Petron Saturday Special Game today at Quezon Convention Center in Lucena with no less than a quarterfinal berth at stake in the 5 p.m. contest.

Tied with 4-5 slates, the winner will make it to the next round and gain a chance of qualifying in the upper half of the standings.

The loser faces the specter of finishing either No. 7 or 8 and would be bracketed against a top-two team, needing to win two straight times to survive the first round.

The scores:

First Game

RAIN OR SHINE 102—Chism 30, Lee 14, Belga 11, Tiu 10, Norwood 8, Tang 6, Quinahan 5, Jco. Cruz 4, Almazan 4, Uyloan 3, Ibanes 2, Arana 2, Jvy. Cruz 2, Chan 1, Teng 0.

BLACKWATER 98—Douthit 34, Acuna 20, Heruela 15, Gamalinda 11, Reyes 6, Faundo 4, Canada 2, Rodriguez 2, Celiz 2, Bulawan 2, Erram 0, Ballesteros 0, Laure 0.

Quarters: 18-20, 46-41, 78-65, 102-98