Drukman's clutch shots give Israel U21 a one-way second round entry, while Philippines U21 continues skid (81053)Oslo, Norway -- For Philippines U21 and Israel U21, the assignment was very clear: Win this game to gain a ticket to the second round of the U21 World Championship tournament. In the end, Israel U21 claimed the important win over Philippines U21, 74-66. Philippines U21 still has a chance to make it to the second round, but their fate will be determined next week.
Philippines U21 was once again off to a slow start, which is a recurring theme in most Philippines U21 games, regardless of the game results. The Filipinos were within striking distance until the last 1 minute, but Israel U21 thwarted any comeback effort via late back-to-back jumpers and free throws by Israel U21's starting 2-guard,
Avinoam Drukman.
Ivan Strool shows off his all-around game for Israel U21. He collected 17 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
Ram Twily got 16 points and 8 rebounds despite playing off the bench, while Avinoam Drukman added 11 points, in which 6 of them were in the final minute of the game.
Cornelio Porminal and
Boen Chong were the only double-digit scorers for Philippines U21, with 16, and 10 points, respectively. Philippines U21, as a team, only shot 28.4% field goals as they had a difficult time navigating through Israel U21's defense.
With this loss, the 4th spot in Pool B is still up for grabs, with Philippines U21 (3-3), Magyarország (Hungary) U21 (2-4), Bosna i Hercegovina (Bosnia) U21 (2-4), and Brasil U21 (2-4) in contention. This makes next week's (2nd of September) games a very exciting day of BB basketball. Here are the important matches in Pool B (all of them at 1:30 AM, Manila time):
Philippines U21 (3-3) vs
Bosnia U21 (2-4)
Hungary U21 (2-4) vs Italy U21 (5-1)
Brasil U21 (2-4) vs Nigeria U21 (0-5)
Currently, Philippines U21 sits at 4th. A loss next week will tie them with Bosnia U21, and possibly with Hungary U21 (if they win against Italy U21), and Brasil U21 (if they win against Nigeria U21). In this case, the point difference will matter, and currently, Philippines U21 also has the edge over the other teams in contention.
However, if Philippines U21 wins, they avoid all the point differential complications and moves on to the second round. A win is a must, but Bosnia U21 is also a tough team to beat. With this in mind, we ask to support both U21 and Seniors team.
Points Leaders:Cornelio Porminal - 16 points
Boen Chong - 10 points
Nyle Tagle - 9 points
Rebounds Leaders:Benigno Sasabo - 14 rebounds
Bill Guerrero - 9 rebounds
Gabo Familar - 6 rebounds
Assists Leaders:Gabo Familar - 5 assists
Cornelio Porminal - 4 assists
Benigno Sasabo - 3 assists
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
- Leo