Fiba Asia U16: Energen Pilipinas downs Saudi, stays unbeaten

Photo from nhatrang2011.fibaasia.net

NHA TRANG, Vietnam—National youth coach Olsen Racela saw the improvement that he wanted as the Energen Pilipinas team rolled to its fourth straight victory in the Fiba Asia U16 here.

Unloading triples early, the Philippines hammered out a 100-42 victory over Saudi Arabia Sunday night to stay unbeaten in Group F of the tournament’s second round at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center.

The young Nationals knocked in 15 of their first 28 points from beyond the arc in an early run that helped them pull away at 53-27 at halftime.

Prince Rivero, Henry Asilum, Rev Diputado and Jordan Heading fueled the Philippines’ first-half charge before the team wound up with a respectable 48 percent (11-of-23) shooting clip from three-point range.

“That’s what we need,” Racela said of his young wards, who had earlier booked a quarterfinal berth along with Japan and Indonesia in their bracket.

“We’re a very quick team, but our outside shooting wasn’t there in the previous games.”

Rivero and Filipino-Australian Heading—both among the team’s consistent performers—teamed up for 32 points as the favored Filipinos held the Middle Eastern cagers to just five points in the final quarter.

Asilum, a 15-year-old point guard from Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu, also dished out seven assists to go with 14 points.

“We’ve improved because we’re passing the ball more,” said Asilum as the Philippines finished with its most number of assists yet at 31.

Diputado, also one of the team’s backcourt standouts, delivered anew with 14 points and forward Tomas Ramos chipped in 11.

“We’re just sticking to our roles and not looking for points,” said Rivero, a 6-foot-3 forward from the National U Bullpups. “If we play good defense, the points will come.”

The Philippines and Japan, the only teams with a perfect slate in Group F, were disputing top spot on the final day of the second round at presstime last night.

Defending champion China claimed the No. 1 slot with a 5-0 record in Group E after a 73-42 rout of South Korea (4-1) yesterday in a rematch of the 2009 finals.

Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals along with Group E’s Lebanon (2-3) and Iraq (2-3).

The scores:
PHILIPPINES 100—Rivero 17, Heading 15, Asilum 14, Diputado 14, Ramos 11, Cani 8, Dalafu 8, Alejandro 6, Caracut 3, Go 2, Javelosa 2.
SAUDI ARABIA 42—Sakar 11, Barnawi 9, Hansawi 7, Musallam 5, Almalalah 4, Althalabi 3, Shubaylo 2, Alkhammas 1, Alhassan 0, Mobarki 0, Almutairi 0, Altamar 0.
Quarters: 28-12, 53-27, 76-37, 100-42