Indonesia, China rule FIBA 3x3 U18 Asia Cup
THE 2017 edition of the FIBA 3x3 U18 Asia Cup came to a conclusion at the weekend in Malaysia with Indonesia and China emerging on top of the women’s and men’s division, respectively.
Indonesia defeated host team Malaysia, 13- 6, to bag the gold in the women’s side while China edged Chinese Taipei in the finals of the men’s division, 17-12.
Despite opening its campaign with a loss, the Indonesian team racked up four straight victories, including the finals that saw eventual most valuable player Lea Kahol leading the way with eight points.
Also part of the individual honor roll, dubbed “Team of the Tournament,” were Malaysia’s Suet Ying Foo and China’s ZiHui Yuan.
China finished third after defeating Singapore in the battle for third, 17-14, in the tournament held at the Gem-In shopping mall and presented by Under Armour.
Meanwhile, in the men’s division, China ruled with MVP Hoanan Li, 17, pacing the team in the finals with nine points.
The finals win was in followup to the team’s dominating victory in the semifinals over powerhouse Qatar, erstwhile Asia Cup champion and reigning World Cup champ.
Sharpshooters Chen- Ya Chang ( Chinese Taipei) and Faisal Abuissa ( Qatar) joined him on the Team of the Tournament.
Qatar finished third after beating Lebanon in the bronze medal game.
The Philippines, for its part, wound up fifth and seventh place in the women’s and men’s divisions, respectively, in the three- day tournament in Cyberjaya.
The Philippine women’s team, which ended with a 2- 1 record, was composed of Mayu Goto, Kristine Kayabyab, Melody Cac and Reynalyn Ferrer.
The men’s team ( 1- 2) had Rhay yan Amsa l i, Michael Malonzo, Kris Harvey Pagsanjan and Andrew Velasco as members.
Hosted by FIBA, in cooperation with the Malaysian Basketball Association ( MABA) and organized by NBL Asia, the 2017 3x3 U18 Asia Cup featured 32 teams from 17 different countries.
Focus now shifts to the FIBA 3x3 World Cup happening in Nantes, France, beginning June 17.
In said tournament, the Philippines will be represented by Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng, Kobe Paras and JR Quinahan in the seniors’ division.