THE Philippine U18 Girls crushed Indonesia in their opening game, 91-44, in the ongoing 2018 Asean School Games in the House of Champions Gem in Mall Cyberjaya, Malaysia.
Assistant coach Denden Velez of Silay City shared how the team prepared and handled the pressure as defending champions.
"We prepared for two months for this tournament compared to last year, we only had two weeks preparation. We should have had an intact line-up but the Department of Education disqualified three players because they have already graduated from high school," he said.
Forward Kent Jane Pastrana of Doña Montserrat Lopez Memorial High School–Silay City spearheaded the Careline and SM-Philippine squad with 25 points, six steals, five assists and three rebounds. Ilongga center Karl Ann Pingol backstopped with a double-double performance, 14 markers and 15 boards.
Head coach Piao Fedillaga said sweeping the tournament is their goal.
Also in the roster is Bacolod City's Lina Goto, who is a mainstay of the University of Negros Occidental–Recoletos.
Meanwhile, the Philippine cagebelles will face today host-Malaysia at 10 a.m. as they are hoping to extend their dominance in the tournament.
