RP U-16 Team Cops Fourth Place

Johor Bahru, Malaysia – Iran eked out a win over the though Philippine Team 83-73, in overtime to finish third in the Fiba Asia U-16 Men’s Championship Friday night at the Bandaraya Stadium.

Jeofrey Javillonar missed an easy layup in regulation that could have have lifted the Philippines to a win for the Smart Gilas Team, whose offensive game did’nt flourish well in overtime thus allowing the Iranians to secure the win by virtue of a 13-o run to clinch the third place trophy.

In the championship game, the mighty and tall China crushed South Korea 105-69, to bag the much-coveted championship. China and South Korea clinched the two berths to the Fiba World-U17 Men’s Championship in Hamburg, Germany next year.

This is the second heart-breaking loss for the Philippine quintet against Iran. The Philippines lost a 70-76 in their quarterfinal meeting.

The fourth place dished out by the Filipinos, is the best in years. Ravena collected 18 points, four rebounds, and four steals to lead the losing cause of the Filipinos.