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Pilipinas U21 Press Release
Cubs annihilate Japan, 114-51

A combination of a tough defense and consistent offense led to the Philippines making quick work of Japan, 114-51.

Artemio Rosalia led the Cubs with an all-around performance, finishing with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. “We played a great game today, but we have to make those free throws. It does not make sense to be aggressive in attacking the basket, yet miss almost half of our shots behind the line,” Coach Jeorge said after the game. Inside sources say the Cubs are scheduled to practice their free throws on Friday, with the understanding that the 5 players with the least efficient shooting percentage will treat the rest of the team for dinner at the Brisbane Quarter.

The Philippines is scheduled to play against 38th ranked Indonesia this coming Monday.

U21 Press Release
Taiwan stuns Cubs, 92-78

Taiwan took a risk Monday night, and it appears to have paid off.

The Taiwanese put up a strong showing in the fourth quarter, limiting the Cubs to a dismal 39% from the field, and miss all of their three-point attempts. While both squads did not convert from the behind the arc, the Filipinos took more shots than the Taiwanese (13 vs 5). “We have to make those shots. We have the talent, all we need is to execute,” Coach Jeorge said after the game. The Filipinos and Taiwanese exchanged baskets in the first three quarters, before Ng Khek Leng and his squad took over.

The Cubs looks forward to sweeping their last two assignments: against the Emiratis on August 16, and the Singaporeans on August 23. Taiwan will also face both squads in the last two weeks in this phase of the tournament; they are expected to be on top of Group B, sweeping the competition.

U21 Press Release:
Cubs annihilate UAE, 120-34

The Pilipinas Cubs put out another stellar performance, beating the UAE U21 National Team, 120-34 this Monday afternoon. Alexander Layunin led all scorers with 31 points, followed closely by Freddy Villaprudente with 28 points.

The Cubs beat the Emiratis so bad, the scoreboard had to be turned off while the match was ongoing, so neither team would know what the final margin of victory is. It was rumored that the players and families of the UAE players were offered counselling services after the match.

This latest victory guarantees the Philippines second place in Pool B, led by Taiwan. “Our only chance to get first place is for Taiwan to lose against the UAE, and for us to win against Singapore. I doubt Taiwan will lose, but you’ll never know,” coach Jeorge said after the game.

U21 Press Release:
Cubs annihilate UAE, 120-34

The Pilipinas Cubs put out another stellar performance, beating the UAE U21 National Team, 120-34 this Monday afternoon. Alexander Layunin led all scorers with 31 points, followed closely by Freddy Villaprudente with 28 points.

The Cubs beat the Emiratis so bad, the scoreboard had to be turned off while the match was ongoing, so neither team would know what the final margin of victory is. It was rumored that the players and families of the UAE players were offered counselling services after the match.

This latest victory guarantees the Philippines second place in Pool B, led by Taiwan. “Our only chance to get first place is for Taiwan to lose against the UAE, and for us to win against Singapore. I doubt Taiwan will lose, but you’ll never know,” coach Jeorge said after the game.

U21 Press Release:
Cubs pummel Singapore, maintain second place in Pool B

The Pilipinas Cubs made it a no-contest last night, making quick work of Singapore, 103-62. Cyrus Pasiculan led six Cubs players in double figures with 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists in 37 minutes of action.

The Cubs did not give the Singaporeans a fighting chance, showcasing their playmaking skills enroute to the victory. With the Cubs leading by 24 by the end of the first half. Coach Jeorge decided to push things up to eleven, scoring 54 points in the second half. “We want to maximize our winning margin against our opponents, you will never know when the point differential will come in handy,” Coach Jeorge said after the match.

Team Pilipinas has a tougher hill to climb, compared to Pool B leader Taiwan. Based on the strength of schedule, the Cubs would have to face two higher ranked opponents (Hong Kong and Australia) to round up the first phase of the tournament, while Taiwan gets to face only one higher ranked opponent (China). “It would be interesting to see how the next couple of games will go. I hope Thailand gets to beat Taiwan, you’ll never know,” a team official said.

Subbing for Martin as PR who requested a 2 week break

U21 Philippines whips India 129-66

Orais, Marquese, Olmida and Tacuban combined for 72 points, the 4 players were enough to beat India who only managed to score 66 points. Coach Jeorge commented that "Basketball is simple you only need to outscore your opponent by 1 point to win. In this case we managed to win by 63 points, 3 points shy of doubling their scoring output.

Carranzo struggled offensively the entire game but made up by controlling the boards with a game high 18 rebounds. Next up for Team Philippines is Pakistan dont hold your breath.

U21 Press Release:
Cubs bow to Hong Kong, 82-71

Atrocious shooting and foul trouble led to the Pilipinas Cubs dropping a crucial game against Hong Kong, 82-71.

The Cubs could not get their rhythm throughout the game, having been limited to 30% field goal shooting, and finished the game with 20 fouls. “We did not execute when we were supposed to. This is on me,” shooting guard Freddy Villaprudente said during the post-game press conference. He finished the game with 20 points, but also had to attempt 20 shots to get there.

The Cubs are on ‘Win or go home’ mode next week, facing 12th seed Australia this coming Monday. A win will make the Cubs advance to the next phase of the tournament, while a loss would eliminate the team, and the Australians advance. “We have to be prepared next week. The Australians have home court advantage, so we will definitely give it our all,” Coach Jorge said in a phone interview.

It does not help that the practice facility the Cubs were assigned to is a Bowls Australia venue. “As you can see, this is not the right venue to practice our shooting. We are now coordinating with the local authorities, so they can help us find a basketball court, and proceed with our scrimmages,” a team official said, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. it does not help that the song "Under Pressure" by Queen was played by the town the Cubs are staying in. Vans with loudspeakers were reportedly roaming the streets.

U21 Press Release
Panthers rip Aussies, 95-82

Florentino Olmida was on top of the world, by the time the final buzzer sounded.

Olmida scored a game high 28 points, as the Pilipinas Panthers defeated a gutsy Australian squad, 95-82 Monday night. He finished the game with a 75% clip from the field, and added 2 blocks. “Florentino did a stellar job, he definitely pulled through tonight,” coach Jeorge said in the post-game conference.

The Panthers averted a disaster, as the they were down by 2 after three quarters. The Boomers’ stingy defense, and alleged lack of sleep led to Alexander Layunin’s worst outing in the tournament. He shot 4 of 22 from the field, including a 0% shooting efficiency from behind the arc in 10 shots. “I’ve spoken to Alexander about the matter, and he commits to discontinuing his basketball scrimmage sessions with Ben Simmons,” Jeorge said when asked to comment on the matter.

The win sends the Panthers to the cross over semi-finals, facing 17th seed Taiwan. “We will take this one game at a time, we look forward to our match up against Taiwan,” Jeorge said after the game.

Good Job to Coach Jeorge and his U21 Staff

Great Article by Martin

Good luck sa mga Bata!

PUSO!