PH U16 rips Iraq, tabs semis slot

NHA TRANG, Vietnam—Just one more win to the world stage.

The Energen Pilipinas Under-16 team survived Iraq’s gritty comeback, 82-69, to clinch a semifinal berth in the Fiba Asia U16 tournament Wednesday night at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center here.

Tomas Ramos provided the much needed inside presence for a team-high 15 points, while Jay Javelosa poured in seven of his 12 points in the final eight minutes after the Iraqis had threatened within four, 62-58.

The Philippines’ thrilling victory over the taller Iraq side matched the  semifinal stint set by the previous national youth batch led by Kiefer Ravena in 2009 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Now standing in the way of the Philippines’ bid to surpass that record—and book a World Championship ticket—is the sweet-shooting South Korean squad.

The two finalists in this 15-nation tournament will represent Asia in the 2012 Fiba U17 World Championship in Lithuania from July 17 to 26.

The Philippines will shoot for a championship berth against South Korea—which crushed Indonesia, 107-48, in the quarterfinals—in the Final Four Thursday night.

Defending champion China and Japan will also fight for a title berth in the other semifinal pairing.

China demolished Saudi Arabia, 100-19, while Japan routed Lebanon, 71-52, in the quarterfinals yesterday afternoon.

The Philippines—the only other unbeaten squad along with China—streaked to its sixth straight victory following its 5-0 sweep of the first two rounds.

As the reigning champion in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba), the Philippines predictably cruised the preliminaries by dumping Indonesia (93-30) and Vietnam (111-25).

The young Nationals, banking on their quickness, sustained the roll in the second round by crushing Qatar (107-28) and Saudi Arabia (100-42), before upsetting Japan (83-72) for a 5-0 sweep.

Youth coach Olsen Racela before the game said he appreciates how his boys have put their campaign for the country above their egos.

“They really listen,” said Racela. “As I said, these boys always surprise me.”

“As coach said, we just have to stick to our roles,” said hefty forward Prince Rivero. “We’re not looking for points because we know that if we play good defense, the scoring will come.”

“Everyone really has to contribute,” said Racela. “As our opponents get bigger, we need more bodies and we need to do a better job. This is what we’ve been preparing for.”

The scores:

PHILIPPINES 82—Ramos 15, Javelosa 12, Asilum 10, Lao 10, Cani 9, Alejandro 8, Diputado 8, Heading 6, Caracut 2, Rivero 2, Go 0.

IRAQ 69—Razzaq 20, Hamzah 19, Sabri 12, Ismael 8, Mahdi 4, Abdulqaer 2, Abdullah 2, Ali 2, Saeed 0, Ahmed 0, Mohammed 0, Abdullhussein 0.

Quarters: 30-9, 51-34, 62-52, 82-69