RP 5 rips Thais, captures SEABA women's crown

One among the last-minute dropouts from the Philippine contingent to the Guangzhou Asian Games, the RP women’s basketball team made a strong case for its inclusion in the quadrennial meet. The Filipinas showed it by ruling the 7th Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Women Championship Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. They handed Thailand another sound beating, 76-54, taking away the crown from a squad feared by the rest of the teams competing here. But the RP cagebelles weren’t intimidated. In fact, the Filipinas were able to dominate their Thai rivals anew a day after beating the previous champion black and blue, 83-57. “We could not have done this feat if not for the players’ perseverance and hard work. My hats off to them as they worked hard the past months in our practices," said a teary-eyed national mentor Haydee Ong. From a slim 37-36 advantage at the half, the Filipinas flexed their muscles in the second half behind solid team defense. They held the Thais to only 18 points in the final 20 minutes of play.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Veteran Joan Grajales finished with 14 points, including eight when the Nationals broke away in the final period. She also had six assists while Diana Jose and Merenciana Arayi added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Grajales and Jose also had three triples each while Arayi added one as the Nationals’ outside shooting started to pick up. “We found our range again in this game. But the key was our defense. We made adjustments in the second half. That is why we dominated the shaded area and kept their shooters down,"added Ong. Xuan Min, the Chinese coach of Thailand, said she expected the Philippines to win the match. “We shot badly, especially from the 3-point range. The Philippines is the host. They are expected to win the tournament. This is not our main priority, anyway, but the Asian Games," said Xuan. Suksomwong finished with 21 points, but was held to just three points in the second half as the Filipinas made key adjustments on the defensive end. Grajales and Jose opened the Philippines’ onslaught with back-to-back triples, enabling the nationals to erect a 17-9 advantage after one quarter. Suksomwong, however, caught fire, drilling in 13 of her 18 first-half points. She had nine points in a telling 12-0 bomb by Thailand, while back-to-back baskets by Juthathip Mathuros and Wipapom Saechua gave the Thais their first taste of the lead, 29-28. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV