Air21 faces Malaysia in China cage finals

ZHONGSHAN, China — Short in manpower but long in talent, the Philippines-Air21 team brought down the Zhongshan Selection of China, 91-80, Monday to set up a titular showdown with Southeast Asian Games rival Malaysia in the inaugural Dr. Sun Yat Sen Cup international invitational basketball championship at the Zhongsan gymnasium here.

The Filipinos, who played barely a few hours after arriving in this scenic hometown of the late patriot Sun Yat Sen following a two-hour boat ride from Hong Kong, weathered a determined stand by the taller and younger Chinese players in the third and fourth quarters to pull off the reversal.

Stephen Padilla fired 20 points, including five triples, for the Filipinos, whose stint here is supported by Burlington, Accel and Federal Tires.

Leo Avenido added 19 points, Bruce Dacia and Mark Telan tossed in 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Former national player Ou Yang Gui jing led Zhongshan with 18 points.

"This is really a big win for us. The boys played their hearts out despite getting limited rest following a week-long stint in Hong Kong," said coach Johnny Tam.

"But we still have to continue to work hard even with only seven players left in the team. Malaysia, which is fully represented in the tournament by its national team members and now handled by an Australian coach, will be a dangerous rival in the finals," said Tam.

Malaysia also shocked the newly-crowned 2006 Eastcolight-Super Kung Sheung Cup champion Asian-American Sports Club of the United States, 79-77, in the other tightly-fought semifinal encounter.

The winner will bring home a guaranteed cash prize of P280,000 put up by the Guangdong Yongyi Group, Ltd., while the runner-up will pocket P210,000.

The Filipinos, who missed the services of team captain Wynne Arboleda and Homer Se due to injuries, led by as many as 11 points, 34-23, early in the second quarter behind the hot hands of Padilla, Dacia and K.G. Canaleta.

The Filipinos also led, 47-37, at halftime.

But the Chinese unleashed a crippling 22-4 run, highlighted by three triples by Lan Jing Rong and Yu Bing Quan, to take control, 59-51, in the third quarter.

But the RP five fought back in the fourth quarter as Ronald Tubid completed a rare four-point play to silence the homecrowd before the Filipinos regained the lead at 70-69 with seven minutes left. Then, Dacia came through with a three-point play, Padilla nailed another triple and Avenido hit two free throws to key the victory.

The scores:

RP-Air21 91–Padilla 20, Avenido 19, Dacia 14, Telan 12, Canaleta 11, Tubid 8, Bernardo 7.

Zhingshan Selection 80–Ou Yang Gui Jing 18, He Jing Long 16, Nie Jun Ning 15, He Jing Long 10, Feng Han Yuan 9, Yu Bing Quan 6, Huang Cheng Cai 4, Liu Lei 2, Lan Jing 0, Jing Feng 0, Li Jian Sen 0, Mai Le Heng 0.

Quarterscores: 24-21, 47-37, 64-65, 91-80