FIBA Asia U16: PHL loses bronze medal to Japan

Pilipinas-Energen suffered a 94-81 loss to Japan Friday in their bronze medal match in the 2nd FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The Philippines failed to duplicate its 83-72 win over the Japanese in the second round. The Olsen Racela-mentored squad, which entered the final round with a 5-0 card, also dropped its second straight game in the tournament following a 67-58 setback to South Korea in the semifinals Thursday night. They duplicated the fourth-place finish of the Kiefer Ravena-led Under-16 Philippine team in 2009 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. China and South Korea, which both qualified for the FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania in 2012, are still playing for the gold medal as of posting time. The Chinese successfully defended its FIBA Asia Under-16 crown after cruising to a 92-52 pummeling of the South Koreans. Daiki Kaneko shot 8-of-15 from the three-point range to finish with a game-high 25 points to lead Japan to victory. He also had five rebounds and five assists. Yusei Sugiura and Keita Shinkawa added 21 and 16 markers each while Yudai Baba tallied 17 points and 13 rebounds. Janhubert Angelo Cani and Kyles Jefferson Lao finished with 16 points each for the Philippines while Rodolfo Alejandro III backed them up with 14 markers. Adven Jess Diputado and Rashleigh Paolo Rivero scored 10 apiece with the latter also grabbing seven rebounds. Pilipinas-Energen had a hot start and even led by five after the opening period, 16-11. They trailed Japan by one, 32-31, at the turn. But they failed to match Japan's offensive onslaught in the second half as their opponents zoomed to a 62-42 spread after 30 minutes of play. — JVP, GMA News