The Philippines, represented by Adamson High School, surged past Thailand, 78-63, to kick off its 13th ASEAN Schools Games campaign on Friday at the University of Da Nang in Vietnam.
Earl Medina and Mark Esperanza led the Baby Falcons with 19 and 13 points, respectively.
“I told them (during halftime) to play with respect. From there on, they started to defend aggressively, challenging shots and diving for loose balls,” said Philippines head coach Mike Fermin.
The game was a roller coaster ride with six lead changes in the first half, allowing the Thais to establish their largest lead of five points early on.
However, the Philippines managed to close out the half with a lead of 44-38.
The Philippines then launched a 13-0 run to start the third quarter, employing a stunning full-court press that forced the Thais into multiple turnovers.
Their plays also allowed the Philippines to capitalize in transition, tallying a total of 17 fastbreak points.
The multi-sport event will officially commence tomorrow at 8:00 PM Manila Time, featuring 1,300 athletes from 10 Southeast Asian countries competing in athletics, swimming, badminton, pencak silat, and vovinam.
