Games Wednesday (Ynares Sports Center)
7:00 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Coca-Cola

Rain or Shine and Coca-Cola won a pair of knockout matches Sunday night to arrange a do-or-die showdown this Wednesday in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

The start of the crossover wildcard phase drew a sparse crowd of 2,000, but the four teams nevertheless produced matches worthy of a championship.

The Elasto Painters, ranked ninth going into the game, upset No. 6 Sta. Lucia Realty, 90-86, while the Tigers blew a 21-point lead but held on to a 118-112 win  over Burger King.

The victorious teams return at the same venue tomorrow to contest the right to face Purefoods in the best-of-five quarterfinals.

Coke mentor Bo Perasol was relieved than happy with the win.

“That’s not the ending I would like to happen going against Rain or Shine,” said Coke mentor Bo Perasol, a former BK (formerly Air21) head coach. “But I would take the win anytime.

“I hope we can carry the energy through our game (on Wednesday).”

Coke led by as many as 21 points early in the game, but Burger King rallied in the second half.

Ronjay Buenafe, who scored a personal conference best 27 points, hit a three-point shot to trim the deficit to four late in the game.

But Gary David, traded by Burger King to Coke last month, delivered in the clutches to help the Tigers extend their winning streak to four.

David finished with 21 points just behind Mark Macapagal who led the Tigers with 22 points on 4-of-6 from three-point territory.

Asi Taulava, who averaged 17 points this conference, only had eight points but pulled down 16 of Coke’s 54 rebounds.

Sophomore playmaker Sol Mercado led the Painters with 18 points, while fellow second year wingmen Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Chan, who went 3-of-6 from the three-point territory – two of which came in the fourth – and Norwood combined for 13 points in the fourth. Norwood’s jumper put the Painters ahead by five, 88-83, with 1:16 left.

Eddie Laure also stepped up as he scored eight points, including a lay-up from a botched play to put Rain or Shine ahead, 90-86, with 11.7 ticks.

Coke and Rain or Shine had split their head-to-head duel this conference with the Painters winning in the first round, 92-84, last November 25, and the Tigers bouncing back with a 105-83 win last January 15.