Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine still manages to pass the ball after falling down even as teammate Ryan Araña blocks the way of Barako Coffee’s Jojo Duncil during their PBA game Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum. (Photo by BOB DUNGO JR.)

Games Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. — Alaska vs Talk ’N Text
7:30 p.m. — Derby Ace vs Sta. Lucia

Rain or Shine import Jai Lewis scored 20 points in the first three quarters and decided not to return on the court.

He did that not because he’s tired of playing or he got injured along the way.

He did that because he knew that the team is in good hands with JR Reyes finally playing true to his potential and playing harmoniously with his teammates.

With Reyes at the helm, the Elasto Painters came through with a huge attack at the start of the payoff period en route to scoring a 90-82 win over the Barako Bull Coffee Masters in the PBA Fiesta Cup last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Elasto Painters were only ahead 60-56, but when Reyes and sophomore wingman Gabe Norwoord sparked a telling 14-3 run, the complexion of the game changed drastically.

Reyes, who had only two points in the first three frames, went on to finish 15 points on an impressive 5-of-8 shooting from the field. He also had nine rebounds and seven assists, while Lewis had 20 and 13 boards in 34 minutes of play.

“I asked Jai if he wants to go back to the game, but he said 'no' since the locals are playing well, so there’s no point of bringing him back,” Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia said. “Jay-R stepped up, and guys like Gabe and Jeff Chan also played well.”

“When you play a team like Barako, they have good role players and a scoring import. So you really don’t know who will score,” Garcia said. “But seeing the locals step up makes our moral higher, even Jai is happy that the locals played well.”

In the second game, Ginebra used a torrid second quarter performance to snap Coca-Cola’s three-game winning run with a 98-91 victory.

The win enabled the Kings to forge a three-way tie for second to fourth places with San Miguel and Rain or Shine at 2-1.

Chan finished with 11 points, while Mercado contributed 11 maskers and six assists. Ryan Araña had 10 points.

Barako Bull Coffee, on the other hand, dropped to 1-3 as it absorbed its third straight loss after winning its first game against Sta. Lucia Realty (97-93).

Import Sam Monroe led the Coffee Masters with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but he was just 10-of-27 from the field, including 1-of-8 from the three-point territory – no thanks to Norwood’s tough defense.

Despite his effort, Norwood felt he did not do well defensively.

“He still finished with 27 points, I can’t say I did a good job,” Norwood said of Monroe. “He’s a player who can score, it’s just a matter of holding him down as long as I can. I’m a little tired chasing Sammy around.

The scores:
First Game:
RAIN OR SHINE 90 — Lewis 20, Norwood 15, Reyes 15, Mercado 11, Chan 11, Araña 10, Cruz 8, Tang 0, Dulay 0.
BARAKO BULL COFFEE 82 — Monroe 27, Duncil 13, Dimaunahan 11, Wainwright 10, Alonzo 8, Vergara 5, Aljamal 4, Najorda 4, Gaco 0, Menor 0, Faundo 0, Coronel 0, Lao 0.
Quarters: 13-9, 42-31, 60-56, 90-82.

Second Game:
GINEBRA 98 — Storey 20, Tubid 18, Intal 13, Baguio 13, Villanueva 9, Helterbrand 9, Mamaril 8, Wilson 2, Cruz 2, Caguioa 2, De Ocampo 2, Menk 0.
COCA-COLA 91 — Penny 32, David 25, Gonzales 10, Espino 9, Lanete 4, Rizada 4, Ross 3, Allera 2, Macapagal 2, Cruz 0, Taulava 0.
Quarters: 23-14, 46-30, 70-59, 98-91.