RP Nationals shock host Iran in Fiba-Asia youth basketball

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine team rallied from a 10-point deficit to stun host Iran 85-84 in a thrilling, highly physical quarterfinal game in the 20th FIBA-Asia Youth Basketball Championship Tuesday night in Tehran. RR Garcia, Mark de Guzman, Frank Golla and Matt Wright sparked the Filipinos’ comeback from a 64-54 deficit in the final seven minutes of the match. Samuel Marata hit two pressure-packed free throws in the dying seconds to clinch the Filipinos’ dramatic win over an Iran team that was already safe into the semis. “We’ve regained the respect of the other countries [here]," said a jubilant coach Franz Pumaren, who said he was feeling better a day after nursing a fever. “Too bad we couldn’t be consistent in our level of play. But in hindsight, this win shows that we could have done better in this tournament." The Nokia-backed RP 5 is already out of the running in the medal race after it lost its first two games in the quarterfinals (against Korea and Japan). Although the win was only their first in the Elite Eight round, the Filipinos were the first team to inflict the Iranians a loss in the tournament for 18-and-under players. “Iran might eventually win the championship, but I’m so proud of these boys who did not languish in their earlier defeats, but really came prepared for this game," Pumaren added. The Filipinos kept the game close for most of the first three quarters. But the Iranians, who opted not to play star player Emad Salmani, regained the upper hand in the final quarter before the Philippines closed out the game with a fiery counterattack. In the semifinals, Iran takes on Syria, while Japan battles Kazakhstan. – GMANews.TV