KUALA LUMPUR – The Gilas cadet squad dug deep in its inner resolve and barely survived a gritty Thailand side, 81-74, at the start of the 29th SEA Games men’s basketball tournament at the MABA Gymnasium here Sunday night.
PBA stalwarts Troy Rosario and Baser Amer formed with Christian Standhardinger, Bobby Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena the Phl unit that beat the Thais in the crunch and sent a big Philippine crowd onto the floor in a frenzied celebration.
It’s a relief from a tough, tough battle waged by the Thai team that was fired up by naturalized player Tyler Lamb.
The sweet-shooting, 6-foot-5 guard proved to be a big headache for the Filipinos before he got into foul-trouble situation then eventually fouled out with over four minutes left to play.
With Lamb gone, the Nationals seized a six-point lead at 77-71 before turning to Standhardinger for key plays that quashed the Thais’ last stand at the finish.
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Gilas coach Jong Uichico felt the Thais stayed in the battle because they played a bad game.
“We played a bad game. We gave them so much opportunities for second-chance points,” rued Uichico.
At 77-74 inside the final minute, the Filipinos eventually broke the back of the Thais as Standhardinger scored on a semi-hook off towering defender Chanatup Jakrawan then grabbed the defensive rebound after a Thai miss.
Rosario and Standhardinger produced double-double numbers while Amer, Parks and Ravena contributed double-digit outputs.
Rosario came up with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Standhardiner collected 15 markers and 10 boards.
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Parks and Ravena chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Amer doled out 10 assists.
Parks also carried a big task of defending Lamb.
The Thai naturalized player showed a great touch from afar, firing away four treys and went on to lead all scorers with 17 points.
The scores:
Philippines 81 – Rosario 16, Standhardinger 15, Parks 14, Ravena 11, Tolomia 8, Amer 6, Jose 6, Vosotros 3, Ferrer 2, Paras 0, Pessumal 0.
Thailand 74 – Lamb 17, Samerjai 12, Ananti 11, Klahan 10, Jakrawan 9, Klahan B. 5, Kruatuwa 4, Aphromvilaichai 4, Chanthachon 2, Lakhan 0, Muangboon 0, Goghar 0.
Quarterscores: 22-12, 36-34, 60-59, 81-74
