YANGON, Myanmar – Nokia-Pilipinas routed Laos as expected, 133-30, yesterday moving a win away from sweeping the SEABA Under 18 Championship at the Thuwonna National Stadium here.
Ranged against lowly rated rivals, the Filipino teeners still played without letup, scoring on fastbreaks from a series of turnovers forced by their tough trapping defense.
The RP cagers go for a sweep against Thailand today.
Earlier, the Thais trounced the Malaysians, 75-68, to set up a title duel with the Filipinos, whose early domination of the event netted them a spot in the Fiba-Asia Under-18 tournament slated in September in Yemen.
Singapore, meanwhile, kept its hopes of making it to the Yemen meet, beating Myanmar, 78-70, for an even 2-2 card.
“Our defense made the big difference,” said coach Eric Altamirano after the win fashioned before a handful of Filipino crowd that included the Philippine Embassy officials, headed by Ambassador Ma. Hellen Barber.