Iran stalls RP Nokia U-16 semifinal bid

MANILA, Philippines - Fancied Iran played true to form and beat Nokia U-16 Team Pilipinas, 76-70, stalling the Filipinos’ semifinal bid in the FIBA Asia U-16 Men’s Championship night at the Bandaraya Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia last Monday.

The Iranians rode on a big second quarter run to seize control then wore down the Nationals down the stretch to fashion out the victory and remain unscathed in the tournament which stakes berths to the 2010 FIBA World U-17 Men’s Championship in Hamburg, Germany.

The loss was Team RP’s first, putting the Nationals in a must-win game against another top contender Jordan to remain in the semis race.

A victory over Jordan will send the Filipinos to a semifinal showdown with China while Iran tangles with Korea in the other semis.

Team Pilipinas coach Eric Altamirano said that beating the Chinese is nearly impossible but could be done.

“It’s tough, but doable,” Altamirano said, assessing their chances against the powerful China, which humbled Korea by 70 in their quarterfinal encounter, 121-51.

Against the taller, heftier Iranians, the Filipinos struggled for only seven points in the second period to fall behind, 26-38, at the turn.

Skipper Kiefer Ravena, however, sparked a third quarter comeback as Team Pilipinas grabbed the lead in the opening minutes of the final period, 60-59.

But Iran, with stocky slotman Mir Fattahi dominating the lanes, countered with a 13-2 blitz to regain a 10-point lead entering the final five-minute mark.

“It was a heart-breaking loss for us. We fell into a deep hole early and we spent a lot of energy catching up which took the toll on us in the fourth quarter,” Altamirano said. “They capitalized on their inside game, they attacked our big men and put them into foul trouble.”

Fattahi led Iran with 20 points and 17 rebounds while playmaker Soheil Fatahi turned in 15 points and seven rebounds.

Ravena nailed 26 points while swingman Von Pessumal fired 15 points for Team Pilipinas, which beat the same Iranian squad twice in the second Nokia Invitational Cup in Cebu City recently.

Iran’s Serbian consultant Vaselin Matic expressed his admiration for Team Pilipinas, but wondered why it suddenly lost its touch from the outside and decided to hammer it out underneath, giving the Iranians a huge size advantage.

“They were good shooters in the first quarter, but they tried to challenge us underneath. We have no choice, we have to use size to our advantage,” said Matic, a close friend of Smart Gilas mentor Rajko Toroman. “They have a very good team, good shooters and athletic big men. This team will go far.”