Energen Phl crushes Qatar

NHA TRANG CITY, Vietnam – Energen Pilipinas continued to dominate the lesser-fancied teams in the second FIBA-Asia U-16 Championship, thumping Qatar, 107-28, Saturday night to advance to the quarterfinal round at the Kanh Hoa Sports Center here.

The Nationals virtually settled the issue right in the first quarter, 36-6, and went on to post quarter averages of 27 points while limiting their hapless rivals to a four-point norm per quarter.

Hubert Cani, who is expected to suit up for the reigning UAAP junior champion National U next season, scored six of his 17 points in the first quarter while Rev Diputado, a bright prospect for San Beda high in the NCAA next year, took over in the second half by firing 12 of his 15 points.

The win was the third straight for the Nationals, who dominated the Indonesians, 93-30, and the host Vietnamese, 111-25, in the first round of the tournament staking a lone berth in the FIBA World U-17 Championship in Kaunas, Lithuania next year.

“We’re getting there,” said coach Olsen Racela. “We’re happy with the win but of course, we’re not contented because of some minor problems that we can correct.”

Andrei Caracut, Fil-Aussie Jordan Heading and Reedley’s Jay Javelosa and Fil-Am Nick Dalafu combined for 46 points to anchor the team’s romp in a game that saw all 11 players score by at least four points.

The 12th, Xavier standout Kyles Lao, didn’t see action after sustaining a sprained ankle against Vietnam. He is expected to suit up against Japan tonight.

“The team is now starting to play as a team, everyone is playing unselfish basketball,” said the 16-year-old Cani, member of the team that swept the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championship in Malaysia last August, in Filipino.

“We’ve been in the team for nine months now so we’re now familiar with each other,” said the soft-spoken Diputado, the other member of the last Energen team.

Energen Pilipinas was playing Saudi Arabia at press time, looking for another victory and the No. 2 seeding in the quarters.

A win by the Filipinos over the also unbeaten Japanese at 8 p.m. tonight (Phl time) will ensure the former of the top seeding and a clash with defending champion China, which routed West Asian power Lebanon, 88-42, yesterday, in the finals.

In other results, West Asian champion Iraq turned back Chinese Taipei, 78-73, in overtime to stay in the quarters hunt with a 1-3 (win-loss) card.

FIBA-Asia U-16 notes: The whole team, headed by team manager Joel Lopa, his wife Ito, and coach Olsen Racela heard mass at the biggest Catholic Church in the city...The Church, named Nha Tho Nui, or a the church between mountains, was built by a French Jesuit in 1928...There are actually only 40 Filipinos working in Nha Trang City, including a couple who are former members of the Singing Cooks and Waiters.

The scores:

Energen Pilipinas 107 – Diputado 16, Cani 15, Heading 13, Caracut 13, Dalafu 10, Javelosa 10, Rivero 8,Asilum 7, Go 6, Alejandro 5, Ramos 4.

QATAR 28 – Dawoud 10, Abdelwaky 7, Saad 6, Al Marri 3, Alamhad 2, Al Ahbabi 0, Mohamed 0, Al Abidi 0, Al Tamimi 0, Al Malki 0, Al Sheraim 0, Almutawa 0.

Quarterscores: 36-6; 56-10; 85-20; 107-28.