Cagers take on Africa 5

SINGAPORE – The Philippines 3-on-3 team hopes to match up well and hurdle a Central African Republic side today as it opens its bid for ninth place in the consolation round in basketball competitions of the first Youth Olympic Games at the Scape Youth Space courts.

The RP cagers composed of Bobby Ray Parks, Jeron Teng, Cris Tolomia and Michael Pate dropped their first three games in the elims and missed the quarterfinal round, re-setting their sights on the highest possible placing it could get in a failed bid here.

Ranged against a team with an average ceiling of 6-3, the Filipinos should be able to dispose of the Africans, who, however, had a better record than RP in the elims, winning two against two losses and barely losing the last quarters berth in Group C to Israel.

But skills-wise, not to mention their talent, the RP youths are fancied to get past CAF for a match with either New Zealand or Iran in the next phase.

CAF is bannered by 6-8 Jean Mbakoutou, 6-3 Neil Londuomon, 6-2 Rodrigue Kabylo-Bereke and 5-11 Anthony Gouzhy.

Meanwhile, the race to the semis heats up today with Serbia battling Lithuania and the US tangling with Spain in the upper bracket. Argentina squares off with Greece while Croatia and Israel dispute the last semis seat in the lower half of the draw.

The Philippines sputtered right in its first match against unfancied Virgin Islands, dropping a 28-34 decision that told heavily in its quarterfinal bid.

The Pinoys nearly pulled off two wins against Spain and Croatia, which they both led in the closing minutes of their respective matches. But on both occasions, they cracked under pressure and lost their poise down the stretch.

RP lost to Spain, 25-27, and bowed to Croatia, 19-22, and dropped out of the quarters race. It did beat South Africa, 26-12, in a non-bearing contest.