PAYING BACK COACH’S FAITH
Hobbled by foul trouble in the first half, Rain or Shine import Wayne Chism stayed calm in the second half and delivered the goods.
“I didn’t let the fouls get to me. I went to the bench, didn’t get mad and didn’t yell to anybody. I sat, stayed calm, and had faith in my teammates. They kept the game down until I was able to return,” he said.
That proved to be a big ace in the Elasto Painters’ sleeves as Chism fired 10 of his 30 points in the third quarter. He also tallied 14 rebounds and four assists to anchor Rain or Shine to a 102-98 victory over Blackwater on Friday.
At 7-3, Rain or Shine is now up there among the league leaders, and they have a shot to secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
But Chism knows that any incentive would only be moot if they cannot sustain their form in the long run.
“It’s going to be a tough matchup no matter who we play. Every team can be beaten in this league. We just have to be mentally tough, stronger, and more consistent down the stretch,” said the 27-year-old.
Chism is just treasuring this chance after coming in as a replacement for first choice import Rick Jackson.
“Coach has a lot of faith for me to come back to this team and to bring them this far this conference. I’ll continue to play hard for coach and do what he wants,” he said.
And they have a chance to test their playoff form on Sunday, when they brace for giant slayer Kia.
Chism said, “Going up against Kia, we’ll be very focused because they’ve beaten a lot of top teams in the league already. We just got to stay focused and stay strong against those guys.” (RL)
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