Painters seek revenge, piece of lead vs Jewels

Rain or Shine takes on pacesetting Montana today, raring to avenge its frustrating setback in a game it dominated in their first round clash and gain a share of the lead in the PBL Unity Cup at the San Andres Gym in Malate.

Coach Leo Austria said his wards’ 58-60 loss to Montana still rankles and the Elasto Painters have vowed to go flat out in their 4 p.m. encounter not only to redeem themselves but also to seize a piece of the lead with the Jewels and the idle Toyota Sparks.

"We led most of the game, even taking a 10-point lead in the fourth but we still came out losers. I would never forget that setback," said Austria, referring to their first round loss to the Jewels.

Montana paces the field with a 6-1 (win-loss) mark while Rain or Shine is in third with a 5-2 mark, half a game behind Toyota Otis, which totes a 5-2 slate.

Meanwhile, Harbour Centre and Magnolia Ice Cream tangle at 2 p.m. with the Port Masters out to get even with the Spinners. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses that saw the Spinners drop to 3-4 and the Port Masters fall to 2-5.

The Jewels surprisingly topped the first round elims with a 6-1 record — their finest start since joining the league in 1998.

Even coach Nel Parado expressed surprise at their new found strength that toppled the much stronger teams and emerged as the No. 1 team in the first round.

"I did not expect that we will emerge on top. But all the hard work, patience and perseverance of my players are paying off," said Parado.

Meantime, Boyet Bautista of Toyota Otis was selected as Player of the Week by the PBL Press Corps.

The 5-foot-7 Bautista stood tallest among a bevy of fine performers for the week as helped the Sparks to two big wins, the latest was an 82-80 win over the TeleTech Titans.