Energen Pilipinas U16 Undefeated for Two Rounds in the FIBA Asia U16 Championship 2011

Jay Alejandro exploded for 36 points as the Energen Pilipinas U16 team defeated Japan, 83-72, to remain undefeated in the first two rounds of the FIBA Asia U16 Championship at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center.

Energen Pilipinas vs Japan
Image via http://www.fibaasia.net 

The win nailed Philippines on top of the Group F and set them up a quarterfinal match against Iraq on Wednesday. Japan will take on Lebanon in their quarterfinal with the possibility of meeting China in the semifinals.

Alejandro, a Mapua high standout, fired 19 points in the first half as the Filipino cagers separated themselves from the Japanese after a tight start. The Filipinos lead at end of the firs half 48-36.

With exchanges continuing to remain equal after the Philippines outburst, Japan never recovered from that Alejandro blitz.

The young Filipino cagers, who gave Japan’s first loss in five games, wrapped up their second-round run in Group F with a perfect 5-0 record.

It was the biggest challenge yet for the young Nationals, who rolled past their first four opponents by a whopping average of 71.5 points.

On the other group, defending champion China claimed the No. 1 slot with a 5-0 record following a 73-42 rout of Korea (4-1) Monday afternoon in a rematch of the 2009 edition’s finals.

“I had the confidence in the boys because our bench runs deeper. I knew our rotations can be long, therefore I wasn’t worried about the pace,” said Philippines coach Olsen Racela.

“We had to step up the gas sometime. It was just a matter of looking for one of their (Japan) substitutions and rolling out our plan,” Racela added.

“Each player has a role to play here, but Alejandro is our leader,” the coach said.