Rock and Roll... to the Worlds! Philippines U21 enters the World Cup after win over Canada U21, 91-61 (80269)Washington D.C., USA -- Philippines U21 raced to an early lead, and thwarted every comeback attempts by Canada U21, and this led to a very important win for the Filipinos, 91-61. This win gave them a slot in the U21 World Cup next season, which is a first for Coach Leo in his tenure as the U21 manager of the Philippines.
"I'm very grateful for the community's support, especially those who are training their guys and keeping them in tip-top shape.", Coach Leo said in the post-game interview. He also tipped his hat to Canada U21's current manager, Coach Morwood, for being a mentor and a great friend. "We go way back, being his assistant when he was Philippines U21's manager a few seasons back, learned a lot about handling the national team, what tactics to use. Stuff like that helps a lot, especially coming from the winningest Pilipinas U21 manager. Again, I can't thank him enough."
Rojun Abono had his best game in a Pilipinas U21 uniform, scoring 23 points in just 23 minutes off the bench, while
Leonard Espeño finished the game with 19 points to cap off this season.
Joseph Steven Tabernero, aptly nicknamed
"JT Express", delivered a 16-point package, safely and securely. Orchestrating the Philippines U21 offense was
Clyde Dexter Widagdo, who dished out 7 assists, and 5 of it were from the 1st quarter alone. The 20-year-old
Benigno Sasabo didn't score much, but his defense on Canada U21's monster bigman,
Pascal Veilleux, was exemplary after he limited the latter to just 6 of 22 shooting, add to that his 7 rebounds and 5 blocks.
The Filipinos did not do well in the rebounding department as Canada U21 deployed a 3-bigs starting 5, hence the 47-63 disadvantage with the Filipinos not even getting a single offensive rebound in this game, but they made up for it by shooting at a better clip, better passing, and defense.
As for Canada U21,
Vernon Owen and Pascal Veilleux secured double-doubles to lead Canada U21's offense. Owen had 16 points, 19 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Veilleux collected 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.
On to the next season, where the Philippines U21 will test its mettle against the best U21 teams in the World. Good luck!
Points Leaders:Rojun Abono - 23 points
Leonard Espeño - 19 points
Joseph Steven Tabernero - 16 points
Rebounds Leaders:Victor Perfecto Sumbang - 7 rebounds
Benigno Sasabo - 7 rebounds
Laurence Linia - 6 rebounds
Ash Julius Javellana - 6 rebounds
Assists Leaders:Clyde Dexter Widagdo - 7 assists
Rojun Abono - 3 assists
Ash Julius Javellana - 3 assists
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
- Leo