i TV Pinoy

Source: gmanews.tv

-- Barely a day after suffering its first loss, Nokia U-16 Team Pilipinas stormed back as it knocked down a resounding 60-45 win over Jordan to formally enter the semifinals of the Fiba Asia U-16 Men’s Championship late Tuesday at the Bandaraya Stadium here.

Riding the momentum of an early 13-0 blast, the Nationals were invincible all throughout, paving the way for the victory that put them in a tough semifinal showdown with Asian heavyweight China Thursday.

Battle starts at 6 pm with the survivor facing the winner between Iran and Korea in the finals of this tournament that stakes two tickets to the 2010 Fiba World U-17 Men’s Championship in Hamburg, Germany.

“Advancing to the semifinals is already a big achievement," said Team Pilipinas mentor Eric Altamirano. “We’re hoping to face Korea instead of China. But it’s our fate. There must be a reason. We just have to work extra hard and do our best."

"China is tough. They are giants. They know how to play; they are mature in their built and in their game. They will be a tough team to beat, that’s for sure."

But in its last quarterfinal game against Jordan, the much-awaited emotional and rugged encounter between two heavy contenders turned into a one-sided affair for Team Pilipinas.

With skipper Kiefer Ravena dictating the tempo early on, the Nationals pulled away in the third period, leaving Jordan behind by as many as 23, 54-31, in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Ravena, who single-handedly carried the squad in their sorry 70-76 loss to Iran Monday, notched 13 points, three rebounds and six steals while Von Pessumal and Dan Sara chipped in 10 points apiece for the Nationals, who flaunted their fluid, well-balanced assault in preparation for the big game against China.

“I was also surprised with the outcome; Jordan looked tired," Altamirano said. “We were able to hide our weaknesses and started out strong in our perimeter game. We handled the pressure pretty well and controlled the game all throughout."

Playing with a heavily-bandaged left knee, Majdi Al-Ghzawi led Jordan with 18 points while playmaker Malek Kanaan finished with 10 points.