Strong Group-Pilipinas’ final game in the 43rd William Jones Cup will be a winner-takes-all showdown.
Strong Group soundly defeated Chinese-Taipei Blue, 96-70, setting up a decisive clash against the hosts’ Team A on Saturday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
The Philippine-based club team will enter Sunday’s championship tilt with a perfect 7-0 record.
Chinese-Taipei White is still in action against Australia’s BSBL Guardians as of this publication.
Strong Group has a chance to secure the Philippines’ seventh Jones Cup crown.
It was a clinical performance by Strong Group, with five players scoring in double figures, led by Chris McCullough’s 25 points and seven rebounds.
Setting the tone early, Strong Group led 30-15 after the first quarter.
The Charles Tiu-coached team continued to dominate in the subsequent three quarters, clearly outclassing Taiwan’s Team B.
The backcourt duo of Kiefer Ravena and RJ Abarrientos contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Jordan Heading added 11 points in 15 minutes.
DJ Fenner also contributed with 12 points and six rebounds, and Geo Chiu grabbed 16 rebounds to go with six points.
Zhang Jiahe led Chinese-Taipei B with 16 points, but they fell to a 3-4 record.
The Scores:
Strong Group 96 – McCullough 25, Ravena 14, Abarrientos 13, Fenner 12, Heading 11, Chiu 6, Ynot 6, Manalili 4, Ildefonso 3, Liwag 2.
Chinese-Taipei B 70 – Zhang 16, Lin Y. 12, Mbaye 8, Kuan 8, Chen Y 8, Sheng 6, Yu 4, Wu 3, Hu 2, Yu 2, Chun 1, Wang 0.
Quarterscores: 30-15, 57-31, 80-54, 96-70.
