RP rips Jordan, faces China in semis

MANILA, Philippines - Nokia U-16 Team Pilipinas bounced back from its loss to Iran with a resounding 60-45 victory over Jordan to advance to the semifinal round of the Fiba Asia U-16 Men’s Championship at the Bandaraya Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia Tuesday.

The Nationals used a big 13-0 binge in the opening period then sustained their run in the next three quarters to cruise to the victory and arrange a semifinal showdown with Asian heavyweight China today.

Gametime is at 6 tonight with the winner facing the victor between Iran and Korea in the finals of this tournament which stakes two tickets to the 2010 Fiba World U-17 Men’s Championship in Hamburg, Germany.

“Advancing to the semifinals is already a big achievement,” said Team Pilipinas coach Eric Altamirano. “We’re hoping to face Korea instead of China. But it’s our fate. There must be a reason. We just have to work extra hard and do our best.”

“China is tough. They are giants. They know how to play; they are mature in their built and in their game. They will be a tough team to beat, that’s for sure,” he said.

But against Jordan, the much-awaited encounter between two top contenders turned out to be lopsided.

The Nationals pulled away by as many as 23 points (54-31) in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Kiefer Ravena made 13 points, three rebounds and six steals while Von Pessumal and Dan Sara tossed in 10 points apiece for the Nationals, who operated on a fluid, well-balanced assault in preparation for their big game against the taller, heftier Chinese.

“I was also surprised with the outcome. Jordan looked tired,” Altamirano said. “We were able to hide our weaknesses and started out strong in our perimeter game. We handled the pressure pretty well and controlled the game all throughout.”

Playing with a heavily bandaged left knee, Majdi Al-Ghzawi led Jordan with 18 points while playmaker Malek Kanaan finished with 10 points.

The scores:

Philippines 60 - Ravena 13, Pessumal 10, Sara 10, Tolomia 8, Teng 7, Pate 4, Romero 4, Ferrer 2, Javillonar 2, Bantayan 0, Alolino 0

Jordan 45 - Al-Ghzawi 18, Kanaan 10, Altaweel 7, Alshami 6, Al Dwairi 2, Al-Syouri 0, Alabbadi 0, Aljarar’ah 0, Abu Ali 0, Jabai 0, Alnaser 0.

Quarterscores: 17-8, 31-18, 48-29, 60-45