RP Youth routs Saudis in FIBA Asia U18 tourney

Jeron Teng and Kiefer Ravena teamed up to lead the Nokia-Philippines Under-18 team to an 86-68 rout of Saudi Arabia in the FIBA Asia Under-18 Championships on Wednesday night at the 22nd May court in Sana’a, Yemen. Teng scored 20 points while Ravena, who helped the Ateneo Blue Eaglets complete a rare three-peat in the UAAP, added 11 markers as the RP Youth team joined title favorite China, which scored an 82-48 thrashing of Syria, for the Group C lead. The Nationals had a slim 22-21 lead after the first period but piled up nine straight points at the start of the second quarter while its zone and pressing defense neutralized the Saudis. The Filipinos were never seriously threatened after taking a 47-36 halftime lead. “We were able to neutralize them with our zone. We were able to bother them with our pressing defense," said RP Youth coach Eric Altamirano, whose team guns for a second win against Syria at 5 p.m. on Thursday (11 p.m. Manila time). Teng and Ravena also combined for 11 of the Nationals’ game-high 13 steals while Jeth Troy Rosario finished with 10 points. The team made five of 17 three-pointers for a decent 29 percent clip. Altamirano hopes the youthful players can fully adjust to Yemen’s conditions when they face Syria, since the desert climate is proving to be a challenge for his wards. “It was tough since we are still adjusting to the air. The Saudis also played a tough game," said Altamirano, whose team seeks to improve the Philippines’ seventh-place finish in 2008. Mathna Almarwani paced the Saudis with 17 points and five rebounds while Marzouq Almuwalled tallied 12 markers and five boards. Though the Nationals were beaten off the boards (39-27), they played more as a team with 19 assists compared to 11 by the Saudis. The Filipinos also shot better from the field, 36-of-63, for a 57 percent shooting clip. The tournament offers three tickets to the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Latvia. – KY/JVP, GMANews.TV