MANILA -- The country’s 3-on-3 basketball representatives fell short against a taller US Virgin Island squad but the tankers gave a glimpse of hope on Monday after advancing in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
The young basketball squad composed of Bobby Ray Parks, Jr., Jeron Teng, Cris Michael Tolomia and Michael Pate trailed at the half and tried to stage an upset but went unsuccessful.
Small but speedy Kadeem Jones torched RP with 16 points including four from beyond the arc while Rasheed Swanton drained a pair of triples to finish with eight points as US Virgin Island, which demolished South Africa, 28-12, Sunday, posted its second win in a row.
The 28-34 loss to US Virgin Island sent the Philippines to the brink of elimination.
Teng, son of former PBA star Alvin Teng and brother of UST star Jeric Teng, topscored for RP with 12 points while the 6-foot-5 Parks, son of many-time PBA best import Bobby Parks, Sr. contributed eight markers.
The 5-foot-11 Tolomia and La Salle standout Pate added six and two points as the Philippines needs to win two games to join the quarterfinal phase.
The Philippines is also set to face Spain on Tuesday, title contender Croatia on Wednesday before closing out their elimination round schedule with a duel with South Africa on Thursday.
Filipino swimmers Jessie King Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi provided the bright spot for the nine-man delegation after barging to the finals and semifinals, respectively.
Lacuna, 16, finished third in the fifth of the six-heat 200-meter freestyle event in a minute and 51.52 seconds to barge into the finals where he is seeded seventh out of eight.
The 17-year-old Alkhaldi, for her part, managed only a fifth place effort in her heat by clocking 58.16 seconds but still made it to the semifinals of her favorite event—the 100m free.
With the encouraging results, RP chief of mission and aquatics chief Mark Joseph believed that both Alkhaldi and Lacuna have the chance in winning the country’s first medal in the inaugural event. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)