After suffering a disappointing 62-74 loss to Malaysia, the Thailand youth team bounced back in a big way, taking a 79-69 win over Indonesia in the 2017 SEABA Under 16 Championship, Tuesday morning.
The loss formally eliminated Indonesia in the competition as they have yet to win in three games.
Arnagorn Homthuanlom led the Thais in the scoring department with 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting, including two triples. And the points of the 16-year-old forward came when Thailand badly needed it.
With Thailand’s lead down to just seven with 5:23 left in the third canto, Homthuanlom scored seven points in the final four minutes of the stanza, capped by a booming triple to give Thailand a 13-point edge entering the final quarter.
15-year-old Hiran Boateng also had a hand in the win by filling up the stat sheet with 12 points, four rebounds, five assists, and eight steals. Tanawat Preechalan chipped in 14 markers on 75 percent shooting.
Thailand’s offense clicked to start the final frame, going on a 10-5 rally to gain a game-high 18-point lead with 6:01 left.
Indonesia managed to slice the deficit down to just eight, 63-71, with 1:53 left but the young Indonesians figured into foul trouble to buck their rally. Free throws by Aaron Wadman sealed the game for the Thais.
The Thailand bench contributed greatly in the win, outscoring Indonesia’s bench , 27 to 10. Moreover, they were able to force Indonesia to commit 24 turnovers that led to 24 points.
Felix Alexander paced Indonesia with 21 points on 8-for-18 shooting to go along with six assists. Gregorius Linduaji added 15 points.
Thailand will next face Batang Gilas on Wednesday, May 17 at 12:00nn. Indonesia, on the other hand, ends their campaign against Singapore earlier that day at 10:00am.
The Scores:
Thailand (79) – Homthuanlom 22, Preechahan 14, Boateng 12, Chayapiwat 11, Wadman 10, Rattanawiwatpong 7, Kinnaret 2, Preechawitong 2, Buakaw 0, Iabsap 0, Kamwised 0, Srangthao 0.
Indonesia (69) – Alexander 21, Linduaji 15, Robert 9, Bonfilio 7, Fawwaz 7, Olindo 3, Tarigan 3, Fernanda 2, Sebastian 2, Christiano 0, Hans 0, Patiara 0.
Quarterscores: 23-13, 44-33, 61-48, 79-69.
