RP cagers win goodwill games in South Korea

The Harbour Centre-Philippine team hardly sweated Sunday night, scoring an easy 125-92 victory over Filipino migrants in a friendly competition before hundreds of cheering kababayan in Seoul, South Korea. The nationals used a blitzkrieg of three-point shots as they settled the game right in the first half after building several 20-point leads. "The Filipino community invited us to play with them, so as ambassadors of goodwill we obliged to play and gave their families an entertainment they missed while away in the Philippines, " team manager Erick Arejola said in a statement issued on Monday. The win was the third straight for Harbour-RP since dropping their first game against Myungji University Thursday. In all, the Nationals had 17 triples as they virtually toyed with the outmatched Filipino migrants. The trip Seoul is part of the team's preparation for the 24th Southeast Asian Games to be held Thailand this December. Last Friday (October 12), the nationals mauled Yongsei University, 91-76, and then surprised the US Army the following day, 102-88. "Right now I'm happy with what the team is doing right now," Harbour Centre owner and amateur basketball godfather Mikee Romero said. "They're improving and I hope, they can sustain it till SEA Games. They're not only training, but they're also providing entertainment hundreds of OFWs (overseas Filipino workers)." While Jeff Chan, Boyet Bautista, Erick de la Cuesta, Jonathan Fernandez, and Patrick Cabahug continued to sharpen their shooting arms, Fil-Am Alex Crisano provided fun in the game as he dazzled the crowd with an array of dunk shots. The burly 6-foot-7 Crisano finished the game with 20 points – his highest production so far. The 5-foot-7 Bautista knocked in four triples, finishing with a team-high 22 points, while Chan added 17, three of which were triples. Fernandez contributed 12 points – all from the trifectaville – while UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz, Beau Belga, and Cabahug combined for 27 points. Back-to-back PBL MVP Jason Castro was used sparingly due to a sprain he sustained during the team's opening but still finished with 9 points. - GMANews.TV