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Rain or Shine's James Yap fires a jumper against the GlobalPort Batang Pier. Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau

MANILA, Philippines A three-game losing streak has plunged the Rain or Shine locker room into frustration but the Elasto Painters remain confident that they can work out their issues in time for the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.

Rain or Shine's losing streak hit three games on Sunday, after a 99-117 loss to GlobalPort that saw them give up a career-high 44 points to Terrence Romeo. They had previously dropped games to league-leading San Miguel and woeful Meralco.

Their loss to GlobalPort puts Rain or Shine (5-5) in a must-win situation heading into Wednesday's game against Alaska (6-4), as they still need a victory in order to clinch a quarterfinals seat.

Otherwise, they may find themselves in a knockout game against Blackwater (5-6) for the last berth in the playoffs.

"Frustration," Gabe Norwood answered quickly when asked about the mood in ROS's locker room. "We're all disappointed in ourselves."

"Medyo struggling kami ngayon, and medyo 'di maganda ang tinatakbo ng team," admitted Jeff Chan.

Coach Caloy Garcia has called out players for "playing for themselves," and veteran big man Beau Belga expressed his disappointment at their defense as well. James Yap, for his part, acknowledged that the Elasto Painters lacked communication inside the court, further compounding their problems.

Chan won't deny that their losing streak has come at perhaps the worst possible time, but he is also optimistic that they can bounce back.

"May tiwala ako sa team," he said. "We'll find ways."

"May kaunting (frustration), pero hindi reason 'yun," he added. "For me, kailangan talaga magkaroon ng sense of urgency now."

Norwood noted that though the Elasto Painters may be frustrated right now, the answer to their problems still lies within their own team.

"I told the guys in the locker room that we have problems tonight, but the answer is also in our locker room. We can easily step up in the next game and take care of business and be in a great spot," he said.

"We got a lot of tough guys and we just gotta continue to rely on one another to get it done," he added.

Moreover, Norwood noted that this is not the first time that Rain or Shine has dealt with adversity. They memorably started with a 1-3 record in last season's Commissioner's Cup, but still went on to win the championship in that conference.

"I'll go to battle with these guys any day of the week," Norwood said emphatically.

"We're just going through some things, and we have to figure some things out. But at the end of the day, hopefully we can get this next one, and in the playoffs, anything can go," he added.

Yap, for his part, stressed that the Elasto Painters need to put their recent struggles behind them and put all their focus on Alaska.

"Ngayon, medyo tagilid kami. So hindi na namin iisipin 'yung bagay na 'yun. Kailangan, sa Alakas pa lang, ibuhos na namin 'yung mga natutunan namin sa basketball, para makapasok sa quarterfinals," he said.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)

See the article here:
ROS players stay upbeat despite losing streak - ABS-CBN News