FIBA Asia U-18 Championship: Philippines blows out Jordan in opener

The Philippines started its FIBA Asia Under-18 campaign with a bang, beating Jordan 85-60, Wednesday morning in Doha, Qatar.

After drawing a bye in the first day of competitions, the Filipinos finally got their feet wet with a dominant performance against the Jordanians.

Ranbill Angelo Tongco led the Philippines as he scored 24 points, going 11 of 17 from the field. Joshua Andrei Caracut added 11 points, three rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

Paul Desiderio, a member of the U-17 squad, and Manuel Isidro Mosqueda added 10 points each. Kobe Paras also played a good game with six points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Still breaking into their competitive form, the Philippines only led by a single point after the first quarter 14-13.

The Filipinos held a 44-26 at the half as they exploded for 30 points in the second period while limiting Jordan to only 13.

Almost the same scenario played out in the third quarter as the Philippines scored 28 points while limiting Jordan to 13 points again. The Philippines held a 72-39 lead heading into the final quarter.

With the result of the game no longer in question, the Filipino kids relaxed in the fourth quarter to allow the Jordanians to inch closer.

The Philippines will play South Korea in the continuation of the preliminary round tomorrow. As Group B has only three teams, Korea, the Philippines, and Jordan will qualify for the second group stage.

Only two of the 14 teams in the tournament will be eliminated after the first three days of competition.

The scores:

Philippines 85: Tongco 24, Caracut 11, Desiderio 10, Mosqueda 10, Dyke 6, Paras 6, Black 6, Yu 5, Santillan 3, Go 2, Escoto 2, Bienes 0.

Jordan 60: Alabed Allat 21, Abuaboud 11, Hijazi 7, Haddad 7, Al Bdour 3, E’Layan 3, Hamati 2, Alsawahli 2, Sassooneh 2, Uwais 1, Bousheh 1, Alfaraj 0.

Quarters: 14-13, 44-26, 74-39, 85-60.