U18 buries Malaysia for third straight win

The National Under-18 basketball team held Malaysia to 23 points in the second half, securing an 84-65 victory on Friday at the 8th South East Asian Basketball Championship at the Singapore Basketball Center. La Salle Greenies standout Mario Bonleon tallied 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting. National University recruit JJ Alejandro added 13 markers of his own while University of the East player Mark Olayon had 12 points and six rebounds. Reedley School’s Jay Javelosa had eight points to go with his game-high 14 boards. The Philippines turned up their defense in the second half, limiting their opponents to just eight field goals in the final two quarters and 21-of-66 shooting overall, or 32 percent. Although they only scored two points on the break, the Nationals totaled 38 points in the paint and out-rebounded the Malaysians 48-28, including 20 on the offensive end. Liew Kit How top-scored for Malaysia with 11 points. Loo Lian Wei was the only other player in double digits, putting up 10 points of his own. Keng Eng Hong and Ng Cheng Toong had nine points apiece. A trey by Alejandro pulled the Philippines ahead in the opening exchange, 10-8, but the Malaysians were making shots in the lane and were harder to contain than their previous opponents. Loo answered with his own trey from the left wing and Liew made a basket inside to pull ahead, 13-10, forcing coach Olsen Racela to call timeout less than halfway through the quarter. Over the next few possessions the Nationals dug in their heels defensively, allowing Malaysia only two more field goals for the rest of the quarter. Meanwhile, Bonleon hit a pair of 10-foot jumpers and tallied six points in a 13-7 run. The Philippines pulled ahead on a triple by Olayon, and a pair of free throws by Hubert Cani pushed them to the top after the first frame, 25-22. At the start of the second quarter, La Salle Greenhills Greenie Prince Rivero made two charities for the Philippines, followed by a steal and a score by Rey Nambatac. However, the Malaysians started to connect from the field and regained the lead, 32-31, courtesy of Keng’s five straight points. The Philippines missed many second-chance shots as both teams struggled from the field, but Alejandro, Kyle Suarez and Remy Morada compensated for the Nationals from the free throw line. Morada converted two baskets in the final minute to preserve a slim 43-42 lead. In the third quarter, the Nationals started to convert at the rim, but Malaysia kept pace. A basket by Tong Jia Xuan threatened to retake the lead, 51-49, with three minutes gone in the period. But the winds changed as Bonleon hit a triple, swinging the momentum in the Philippines’ favor. The La Salle Greenie would hit another triple and score nine points in a 17-8 run for the Nationals to finish the quarter with a 68-57 advantage. Malaysian Ng made a basket at the start of the final frame, but Alejandro countered with a long triple from the right wing. Both teams would go scoreless until Olayon broke the drought, scoring under the basket to open a 14-point lead, a margin that the Malaysians never threatened until the final buzzer. After previous victories against Laos and Singapore, the Philippines sits at 3-0 and will play one more game in the round-robin stage on Saturday against Indonesia. - AMD, GMA News The scores: Philippines 84: Bonleon 16, Alejandro 13, Olayon 12, Javelosa 8, Cani 7, Morada 6, Lao 6, Nambatac 6, De Leon 4, Rivero 4, Suarez 2, Go 0 Malaysia 65: Liew 11, Loo 10, Keng 9, Ng 9, Sim 8, Mak 7, Foo 4, Tong 4, Tan Z. 3, Tan H. 0, Chiang 0, Bong 0 Quarter scoring: 25-22, 43-42, 68-57, 84-65