RP rips Macau, sets title duel with China

The Smart-backed Team Philippines overpowered Macau, 118-59, Saturday night to force an interesting championship showdown with powerhouse China in the first ASEAN CBO Men’s Invitational basketball tournament in Guangxi, China.

Bankrolled by Smart and backed by Nike, the Nationals, composed of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas developmental pool, showed no mercy in rolling to their fourth straight win against a Macau team that was obviously inexperienced.

“I am very happy that the team is quickly learning and adjusting to the system of international play which we are setting up,” said Serbian coach and SBP project director Rajko Toroman.

“We have only started playing competitive games with this new system this week and I really did not expect the boys to perform this well in our first tournament together. This is a very positive development,” he added.

The win set up the Filipinos against the host Chinese, who were far from being gracious in smothering the Singaporeans, 78-63, in their own crossover semifinal duel.

SBP executive director and delegation head Noli Eala said he was satisfied with the performance by the Nationals, who won their four games by a whopping average margin of 45 points.

“This was our best game so far under the system of coach Toroman. It is amazing how the boys are really sacrificing their own brand of play for the team concept being put in place,” said Eala. “While we are hoping for a championship, I am already sure we will come out of this tourney better and stronger as a team no matter what the outcome is tomorrow.”

So dominant were the Nationals that all 11 players fielded in by Toroman, tasked by SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan to handle the country’s Olympic program, scored at least four points.

Far Eastern University standout Mark Andy Barroca led the carnage with 16 points while Ogie Menor, San Beda’s 2007 NCAA Finals MVP, and Fil-Am Terrel Theopile fired 14 points apiece.

Santo Tomas hotshot Dylan Ababou drilled in 13 points while another Fil-Am Greg Slaughter and Mac Baracael added 12 each.

The team had 64-percent shooting from the field on 44-of-68 clip and 47 percent from behind the arc on eight-of-17.

The Filipinos also dominated nearly all departments – rebounds (38-23), assists (25-5) and steals (11-4) – while limiting their turnovers with just eight compared to Macau’s atrocious 23.