Ragtag RP team bombs Lebanon

The Philippines proved no gracious host to the visiting Lebanese squad as the hastily formed RP squad fashioned out a 94-75 victory over the World Championship-bound quintet last night at the start of their two-game goodwill series at the Astrodome.

The Lebanese cagers, coming from a country crippled by war, found themselves bombarded by a barrage of triples from the RP cagers formed at the last minute.

Using their quickness and hustle to the hilt, the Filipino cagers leaned on a big second quarter run behind the guns of Ren Ren Ritualo to turn a 10-point deficit into an 11-point lead at the turn before coasting to the victory.

The streak-shooting Ritualo fired 23 points, including seven of the Philippines’ 14 triples that the taller, heftier Lebanese failed to stop. Five of those triples came in the second quarter when the Filipinos erased a 14-24 first quarter deficit to set the tone for the rout.

"They’re very tall and they sure know how to shoot," said Norman Black, who subbed for RP team coach Chot Reyes who was with the San Miguel Beermen in a club tournament in Chinese Taipei.

"We beat them with our quickness," he added.

Brian Bechara Feighali and Roy Samaha led the Lebanese, who will see action in the World Championship set Aug. 19 in Saitama, Japan, with 16 and 15 points while naturalized Joseph Vogel added 13 points.

United States-schooled Fadi Al-Khatib had 11 points, 10 in the opening period when Lebanon led by 10 points. But he was pulled out midway in the second quarter when Ritualo started to find his mark.

The 6’11" Sabah Khouri, who was also schooled in the US like Al-Khatib, did not see action although he was listed in the line-up.

Black, who last coached the national team in the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, said Reyes would take over on Wednesday in the last of the two-game RP-Lebanon friendly at the Araneta Coliseum due to commitment with Ateneo in the UAAP.