PH mauls Maldives to zero in on semifinals

THE Philippines unleashed a balanced offensive arsenal, taking control from start to finish to hand Maldives a 122-point, 14422 beating on Day 2 of Division B play in the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship 2023 Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in Manila) at the Prince Hamza Sport Hall. Sophia Canindo led 10 of 12 players in double figures with her game-high 21 points as the Philippines closed in on the semifinals.

Her teammates Nevaeh Smith and Aubrey Lapasaran hit 16 points apiece.

Singapore and Hong Kong also picked up victories in their respective brackets, while the Gilas Women inched closer to the knockout crossover semis.

A 19-0 blast at the start of their game proved crucial as the Filipinas took control of the match.

Ryan Nair had 15 points, Ava Fajardo made 13 points and 9 rebounds and Isabella De Jesus, along with Shannon Sayson, also made 13 apiece.

Alyssia Palma provided 10 points for the Philippines.

So far, the Filipinas have recorded the most points made by any team in the two-division tournament.

Gilas moved ahead on 47 steals, forcing Maldives to 73 turnovers.

The Philippines now has a great chance to clinch the top spot of Group A against Jordan.

Peter Atencio

Asian BMX tilt, freestyle tourney slated in Tagaytay

TAGAYTAY City rolls out the red carpet for athletes and officials from eight countries who are seeing action in the 2023 Asian Cycling Confederation BMX Racing and Freestyle Championships set this Sat urday and Sunday at the Tagaytay City BMX Park and the newly-refurbished and multi-purpose Tagaytay City Combat Center.

“Our warmest welcome to the athletes, coaches and officials for the ACC BMX Championships,” said Tagaytay City Mayor and Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who also heads the host national federation PhilCycling.

Riders from Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China, Hongkong, Thailand and Malaysia poise a challenge to Filipino riders led by London Olympian Daniel Caluag, the lone Filipino gold medalist in the Incheon 2014 Asian Games, and former Asian Juniors champion Patrick Coo.

The freestyle competitions in flatland and park will be staged Saturday with national coach and athlete Renz Viaje leading the campaign in the championships primarily supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, POC, City Government of Tagaytay and Council, First District of Cavite, Province of Cavite and with support from Smart/MVP Sports Foundation, Vans and partner hotels Summit Ridge, Tagaytay Quest Hotel and Tagaytay Hotel Dominique.

The Asian championships are the second major international competition that Tolentino is hosting in Tagaytay City after the Philippine 30th Southeast Asian Games in December 2019.

The event—calendared by the International Cycling Union and the ACC—will be held at the UCI-standard racing facility, the only BMX park in Asia that has a roof.

The motos for the BMX racing events are set Saturday and early Sunday with the finals scheduled for Sunday afternoon, according to PhilCycling secretary-general Atty. Billy Sumagui.

A total of 38 athletes are entered in freestyle—14 men and seven women in park and 10 men and seven women in flatland. For racing, 53 riders are entered in the championships and 35 in the challenge event.