Defending champion Sta. Lucia Realty overwhelmed Rain or Shine, 101-84,  to grab a 1-0 lead Wednesday night in their best-of-three quarterfinal showdown of the 2008-09 KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Nelbert Omolon and Joseph Yeo scorched a “newbie” Elasto Painters squad, which entered their first playoff series since joining the league in 2006.

Omolon posted a game-high 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field while Yeo added 26 markers in a very productive 29 minutes of play.

The Realtors now need only one win to forge a semifinal showdown with top qualifier Alaska. This could be easier for them as Rain or Shine will play Friday minus top rookie Gabe Norwood who was ejected in the game.

Norwood was ejected after committing a second flagrant foul on Omolon for throwing the ball on the Sta. Lucia forward at 5:55 mark of the third period.

Tempers flared as Norwood's teammate and fellow rookie Solomon Mercado had a separate incident with Yeo and Ryan Reyes that cost them a technical foul each. Rain or Shine team head coach Caloy Garcia was also given a technical.

"Even though Norwood will not be playing (in Game 2), Rain or Shine is still capable of coming back kaya we should never be confident," said SLR mentor Boyet Fernandez.

The Realtors mentor said their defense was the major factor in bagging the easy win.

"Our goal is to limit Rain or Shine's outside shooting and at the same time stop Gabe and Sol. I think we really did well on those targets," he said.

Beermen escape Gin Kings

In the other quarterfinal pairing, San Miguel Beer escaped past sister team Barangay Ginebra, 78-77, to take a 1-0 lead in their own series.

Danny Seigle converted an undergoal stab on Bonbon Custodio's assist to give the Beermen a 78-77 lead with 47 seconds left.

The Kings had a chance to grab the lead with 4.7 seconds remaining but Jayjay Helterbrand muffed the potential game-winner for Ginebra as time expired.

Lordy Tugade paced San Miguel with 15 points while Dondon Hontiveros chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds. Custodio also played big in the win, adding 10 markers and assisting Seigle for the winning basket.

Billy Mamaril led all scorers with 22 points but Helterbrand was a huge disappointment for Ginebra as he was held to just nine markers on 3-of-14 shooting. He had nine assists though.