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THE RP
men’s team doesn’t have a hold on Southeast Asian
basketball anymore. It seems they have the women to
share the helm with.
The RP-Cebuana
Lhuillier ladies strung two victories to open the
Southeast Asian Basketball Association in
Phuket,
Thailand.
The
Filipinas beat
Thailand,
80-76, late Monday, then disposed of
Indonesia,
70-54, yesterday that underscored the impact of the
massive facelift the women’s team has gotten lately.
Half-American Vicky Brick torched the Thais for 18
points in a come-from-behind victory, while collegiate
Most Valuable Player Cassy Tioseco dumped 11 points
against the Indonesians.
Since
merging, the Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang
Basketbol ng Pilipinas has pushed aggressively for a
competitive women’s team, a club that was virtually
invisible in recent years.
The
recruitment of foreign-based Filipinos like Brick, the
hiring of collegiate-champion coach Fritz Gaston, and
the backing of known sports patron Jean-Henri Lhuillier
all helped to form the solid RP women’s 5.
“These
girls played with a lot of heart and I am confident that
they have very good chances of making it to the finals
after this victory,” Lhuillier said.
“It is a
good gauge of what the team can do, but we have to
remember this is just the first game and they still have
a long way to go,” Lhuillier added.
But the
ladies’ giddy supporters can’t get ahead of themselves
as the second half of their schedule is tougher. The
team faces today a Singapore team with a six-foot-two
naturalized Chinese player, and acknowledged regional
powerhouse Malaysia tomorrow.
The
semifinals are schedule Friday, while the championship
game is on Saturday.
Against
the Thais, veteran Emelia Vega made four free throws in
the dying seconds that preserved Brick’s game-long
brilliance.
Dixie
Valencia and Aurora Adriano chipped in 11 points each.
“The
girls played tough against taller opponents. We were
behind by a point with 40 seconds left, but I am so glad
that my players did not give up. The suffocating
defense throughout the game is also a big factor in our
win,” Gaston said.
“Even in
our earlier practice, I had an idea already of how the
girls were feeling. They were very intense that they
even forgot that they were playing their teammates, so I
had to cut short the scrimmage,” Gaston, a popular
Ateneo cager and coach, added.
In the
Indonesia game, the Philippines was ahead by only 29-26
at halftime before leaving their opponents eating their
dust in the second half.
Brick
had nine points in a game that saw all the players
fielded score. |
