Air21 reigns in Sun Yat Sen Cup

ZHONGSHAN, China — Mission accomplished.

RP-Air21 beat Southeast Asian Games rival Malaysia, 93-70, to capture the inaugural Dr. Sun Yat Sen Cup international invitational basketball championship before an overflow crowd at the Zhongshan gymnasium here Tuesday.

And the Filipinos, supported by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) and sponsored by Burlington, Accel and Federal Tires, did it the old-fashioned way: good defense.

The eight-man RP-Air21 team did not take long to settle the outcome of the match, exploding for 27 points while holding the Malaysians to only 11 points in the second quarter to suddenly turn a close contest into a rout.

Former Welcoat Paints mainstay Ronald Tubid capped the Filipinos’ decisive scoring splurge with a long triple for a 52-31 lead at halftime.

The Filipinos never looked back from there, taking a 74-43 lead on back-to-back triples by Mark Telan and Stephen Padilla with still 1:25 left in the third period.

Telan, the most consistent player in the team, showed the way for the Filipinos with 20 points, including nine in the first quarter alone.

Reigning PBA slamdunk champion K.G. Canaleta and Leo Avenido added 16 points apiece, followed by Ryan Bernardo with 13, Tubid with 11 and Bruce Dacia with 10. Defense specialist Homer Se had four points in three minutes.

"We’re very, very happy to win the title in this prestigious tournament. This is another big achievement for the team," said RP-Air21 mentor Johny Tam, who shared the coaching chores with Bo Perasol.

"We dedicate this triumph to all our countrymen, especially those who have supported the team like Mr. Bert Lina and Lito Alvarez of Air21, Ruddy Tan of Burlington, Philip Go and Willy Ortiz of Accel and Ronnie Co of Federal Tires," added Tam.

Both Tam and Perasol, who also steered the RP-Air21 team to fourth place in the Eastcolight-Super Kung Sheung Cup in Hong Kong last week, later received a congratulatory message from BAP president Joey Lina.

Aside from the championship trophy, the team also won Y40,000 (about P280,000) for winning the four-nation tournament. Malaysia, represented here by its national team, pocketed Y30,000.

Third place went to the United States-based Asian-American Sports Club, which defeated the Zhingshan Selection of China, 85-74.

The team played minus skipper Wynne Arboleda, who sustained an injury, and brothers Yancy and Ranidel de Ocampo, who flew back home following the untimely death of their father.