Phl cagers land in 3-team group, make 2nd round

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine team has been assured of a berth in the second round of the 23rd Fiba Asia U-18 Championship after getting drawn into three-team Group B in the preliminary round of the Aug. 19-28 meet in Doha, Qatar.

Batang Gilas, the Southeast Asian champs, drew Korea, the runner-up in the 22nd edition, and West Asian nation Jordan in the only group with three teams. They will slug it out to determine the number of wins they will carry over into the second round, the Fiba Asia announced on its website yesterday.

Defending champion China, host Qatar, India and Malaysia form Group A while powerhouse Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait and Bahrain make up Group C and Japan, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong and Iraq comprise Group D.

The top three teams from Groups A, C, and D will advance to the second round.

The Jamike Jarin-coached Batang Gilas will play Jordan on Aug. 20 and Korea the next day, both at Al Ghafara Stadium.