INQUIRER Sports

KIEFER RAVENA has a knack for knocking down huge baskets when the game is on the line.

The UAAP juniors Finals MVP from Ateneo unloaded seven points in overtime to lift Nokia Team Pilipinas past Japan, 64-59, at the start of the Fiba Asia U-16 Men?s Championship Thursday at the Bandaraya Stadium in Penang, Malaysia.

Ravena, son of former PBA rookie of the year Bong, tallied 25 points on top of five rebounds and two assists for the Nationals, who had to neutralize Japan?s uprising in the closing minutes anchored on the game-long brilliance of Tsukasa Tano.

Absent during the tuneup encounter with the RP team in Cebu last week, Tano turned out to be the secret weapon Japan had been concealing all along.

?Good thing Kiefer carried us through when we needed a leader,? said RP coach Eric Altamirano of his prized guard who led the Ateneo Eaglets to back-to-back championship in the UAAP.

The Nationals, however, will be facing Kazakhstan and Bahrain prior to the quarterfinals tomorrow without an important piece from their armory.

Point guard Cederick Labing-isa suffered from a suspected MCL tear in the opening minutes and could miss the entire tournament, which offers two slots to the Fiba-Asia U17 World Championship in Hamburg, Germany next year.

?We are a quick team because of him,? said Altamirano. ?He will be a big loss, but his health is our top priority.?

Team Pilipinas clobbered Japan, 71-59, in their last meeting during the Nokia Invitationals in Cebu City. But this time, a more aggressive and prepared Japanese squad came.

Tano?s dexterity and impressive court vision pushed the Japanese ahead, 16-7, a drive they kept until the waning moments of the third period.

?He (Tano) really dictated the tempo and caught us by surprise,? said Altamirano.

The scores:
PHILIPPINES 64?Ravena 25, Romero 9, Teng 7, Tolomia 5, Sara 5, Ferrer 5, Pessumal 4, Alolino 4, Labing-isa 0, Javillonar 0, Bantayan 0, Pate 0.

JAPAN 59?Uehara 15, Tawatari 15, Hareyama 14, Tanaka 6, Tano 6, Yamamoto 2, Fujii 1, Hashimoto 0, Aratani 0, Komatsu 0, Kamiyama 0, Shishikura 0.

Quarters: 5-10, 19-23, 36-38, 50-50 (reg), 64-59 (OT)