Energen Pilipinas routs Indonesia to sweep SEABA Under-18 tournament

The Philippine youth team in action in last year's FIBA Asia Under-16 championship. InterAKTV/Mikkel Bolante

The Energen Pilipinas national youth team defeated Indonesia, 81-57, to complete a sweep of its four games and defend its title in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Under-18 Championships in Singapore.

The Philippines once again banked on a strong effort in the second half, turning a six-point halftime lead into a second half blowout.

Co-captain J-Jay Alejandro led Energen Pilipinas with 18 points, built around four three-pointers, while Rey Nambatac finished with an all-around line of 15 points, four assists and four steals. Kyle Suarez added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Philippines.

Indonesia was led by Jan Misael Panagan, who had 13 points and six rebounds in the game.

The boys of Energen coach Olsen Racela relied on excellent defense in the game, holding Indonesia down to a miserable 28% shooting clip from the field and forcing 18 turnovers, which resulted in 17 turnover points on the other end.

The Philippines clinched its third straight title in the SEABA Under-18 Championships, winning in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2008 and in Yangon, Myanmar two years ago.

Energen Pilipinas cruised to an easy sweep of tournament with double-digit wins in each of their four games. They scored an average of 91 points per game while holding opponents down to just 53.3 points.

The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the FIBA Asia Under-18 Championships in Mongolia later this year. Both the Philippines and Indonesia have qualified while Malaysia and Singapore dispute the final spot in the last game of the tournament.

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