Energen Pilipinas guard Jay Alejandro goes for a shot against four defenders. Photo from Fiba Asia website (https://nhatrang2011.fibaasia.net)
NHA TRANG, Vietnam—Completing its preliminary run in dominant fashion, the Energen Pilipinas Under-16 squad gears up for a test of its real strength.
The Philippines predictably cruised past host Vietnam, 111-25, to top the Group D preliminaries and advance to the second round of the Fiba Asia U16 tournament Thursday night at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center here.
Filipino-Australian Jordan Heading and Prince Rivero fueled the Philippines’ early outburst against a hapless Vietnam side that was held to just eight points in the second half.
But the young Nationals are bracing for a tougher battle in the second round where the Philippines will go up against a taller set of opponents starting with Qatar at 9 tonight (10 p.m. Manila time).
“We got to work on our defense,” said the 15-year-old Heading, who shot a game-high 22 points against Vietnam.
“We really got to work on our weaknesses, we got to push the ball, get ready for the second round.”
Heading, who joined the squad only two months ago, teamed up early with Rivero in towing the Philippines to a 42-point advantage, 59-17, at halftime.
Rivero, a key cog of the UAAP juniors champion National University, finished with 20 points, while Jay Javelosa added 16 markers to help the Philippines complete a 2-0 sweep of the preliminaries.
The Philippines opened its campaign with a 63-point ripping of Indonesia, 93-30, on Wednesday night.
After Qatar, the Philippines will take on Saudi Arabia tomorrow and powerhouse Japan—which also swept Group C at 3-0—on Monday.
“I’m putting my mindset on bigger players,” said Rivero, a burly 6-foot-3 forward. “I need to prepare for them because like what coach Olsen [Racela] said, I’m the one who’s going to play against them.”
Racela said his boys’ 86-point demolition of Vietnam, a football-loving nation, wasn’t exactly a showcase of the team’s power.
“It’s hard to play teams that are weaker because you develop bad habits,” said Racela. “But I always tell them it doesn’t matter who we play. We have to be consistent.”
The scores:
PHILIPPINES 111—Heading 22, Rivero 20, Javelosa 16, Diputado 10, Dalafu 9, Asilum 9, Ramos 6, Caracut 5, Lao 4, Cani 4, Alejandro 4, Go 2.
VIETNAM 25—Hoang 5, Tran 5, Nguyen Minh 4, Nguyen Van 4, Nguyen Duy 4, Do Duy 2,Minh 1, Dinh Duy 0, Tran Vy 0, Thanh 0, Tien 0, Nguyen 0.
Quarters: 32-11, 59-17, 83-22, 111-25