Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — How to stop a runaway Express train? Block it with a solid defensive wall. That's what the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters did against the streaking Air21 Express, and the result was a 71-62 win for the Painters Saturday in a PBA Philippine Cup road game at the Mindanao Civic Center in Tubod, Lanao del Norte. After winning its last three games (against Petron Blaze, Barako Bull, and Alaska), the suddenly rejuvenated and over-performing Express seemed ready to flatten everything that crossed their path — until they collided with a tough and gritty Rain or Shine squad determined to bounce back from a loss against Petron Blaze. The Painters wrapped a suffocating defensive blanket on streak-shooter KG Canaleta and wily playmaker Mike Cortez, the Express' top two gunners, to score their seventh win in 10 games. The win allowed the reigning Governors' Cup champion to come within striking distance of the top two teams — the Talk N Text (8-2) and San Mig Coffee (7-2). With its 4-6 card, Air21 slid into a tie for seventh to eighth place with Petron Blaze. For a brief moment in the third quarter, the Express, led by Mark Isip and Bonbon Custodio, appeared all set to score another monumental upset as they erased a 12-point Painters' lead to threaten at 49-50. But they failed to sustain their momentum as Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, and Larry Rodriguez conspired to give Rain or Shine a comfortable 65-52 lead once again. Chan top scored for the Painters with 18 points. Beau Belga and Jervy Cruz chipped in 10 points each. Despite the tight defense put up against him, Canaleta still collected a team-best 18 points for Air21. Mark Isip added 12, while Cortez had 11. Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said they knew that the only way they could beat the streaking Express was to clamp down on defense. “We expected a hard game because they were coming from a winning momentum, so we just played a lot better defense today than our last game against Petron,” he said. “We know Mike Cortez and K.G. Canaleta were their key guys and I have to give credit to the people who matched up against them — (Ronnie) Matias, Gabe (Norwood) and even Chito Jaime for the few minutes I used him he really did a good job,” Guiao said. Jaime, a seldom used bench player, also shone on offense as he sparked a 7-0 run that blunted the Air21 rally and propelled the Elasto Painters to a 61-49 lead early in the fourth quarter. The win was a milestone for the Painters as it snapped their nine-game losing streak in PBA Philippine Cup road games since 2008. The loss, on the other hand, kept the Express winless in four games played outside Manila since they entered the league last year.
