SANA’A, Yemen–The Nokia RP U-18 team mustered enough willpower to turn back Japan in overtime, 91-86, on Thursday night in the Fiba Asia U-18 Championship at the 22nd May Arena here.
Already out of the running for the semifinals, the team backed by Nokia Philippines and TAO Corporation, can take fifth place if it beats Yemen. Win or lose, it will improve on the eighth place that the Philippines tallied in the 2008 edition of the tournament held in Tehran but a victory will also improve on the sixth place it tallied in the 1996 Johor Bahru edition.
Kiefer Ravena had his highest output so far in the tournament with 37 points build around 14 of 23 shooting from the field and a perfect eight of eight shooting from the line. He also had two rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Jeron Alvin Teng had 14 points while Russel Escoto tallied nine points and 12 of the team’s 35 rebounds.
After a regulation tie of 82-all, the Filipinos limited their opponents to just four points in the extension. Japa, led by Seiya Ando’s 22, Kodai Kimura’s 19 and Takumi Mitsuyama’s 18 markers, will battle Lebanon for seventh and eighth place.
China and Korea battle for the crown after beating Iran, 63-52, and Chinese Taipei, 79-68, respectively, while their victims dropped to a battled for third place.
The tournament dangles three tickets to the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship to be played in Latvia next year. [pr]
