Philippines finishes in 14th place

By Adrian Stewart Co

Following the conclusion of the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, the Philippine men’s national under-19 basketball team finished the competition in 14th place at the end of the classification round. A total of 16 countries participated in the competition.
After the team was eliminated from the formal competition last week, falling 87-60 in the Round of 16 to Serbia, they next faced Australia in the 9-16 classification round, where they lost 82-60. They were next paired against China in the 13-16 classification and won 86-72.
A win against New Zealand would have placed the Philippines in 13th place; however, the Kiwis took the upper hand and won 76-70.
Trailing 59-58 after the first 30 minutes, the Philippines went up 68-61 in the fourth period following consecutive inside shots from Carl Tamayo. New Zealand then countered with a rally and got to within 68-67, but Dave Ildefonso managed to extend the Philippines’ lead to 70-67 with free throws.
New Zealand’s Oscar Oswald went on to tie the game with a triple and their lead began to grow with Flynn Cameron putting the Kiwis up 72-70 with a layup. Subsequent misses from the Philippine side and additional free throws from Cameron sealed the win for New Zealand.
Despite the loss, Tamayo led the Pinoy side with a double-double on 24 points and 12 rebounds; while Ildefonso and Dalph Panopio each scored 16 points./ASC, WDJ