LOOK: Top photos of Manila Bulletin in the 30th Southeast Asian Games for Dec. 6, 2019

Featuring:

• Chezka Centeno, Rubilen Amit oust Indonesian quarterfinal opponents
• Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes yields to Vietnamese foe, ends campaign with bronze
• Irish Magno, Rogen Ladon, Charly Suarez advance to boxing finals

Source: Manila Bulletin

 

By WAYLON GALVEZ

Following a podium finish in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine handball team is looking at various tournaments next year to further develop the skills of players for international competitions.

Jana Franquelli, the national team coach, said the successful campaign of the beach handball team in the SEA Games where they won the bronze medal, only proved Filipinos have what it takes to compete even if the sport is relatively new to the country.

“We have to take advantage of what we achieved and continue with the development of the players, not only in beach handball but also in indoor handball – both men’s and women’s competitions,” said Franquelli, who helped in the introduction of handball in the country in 2012.

Since only the men’s beach handball was approved in the previous SEA Games, resources and focus was on the team as it prepared in the country’s hosting of the biennial meet.

But now that the regional event is over, Franquelli said that she would propose to the Philippine Handball Federation Inc. under its president Steve Hontiveros a new program for the next two years.

“We want to resume training of our athletes – men’s and women’s indoor – and women’s handball team because there are various competitions this year that we want to join,” she said.

One of the tournaments is the 2020 Asian Beach Games set Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 in Senya, China. Franquelli said that the men’s team that saw action in the SEA Games will compete in this event, while the women’s team would be formed once the PHF approves the proposal.

The main focus of the national team is the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“During our discussions with our Vietnam counterparts, handball will surely be included in the calendar of events and because they are strong in this sports – they got the gold medal in the SEA Games – it’s possible that handball may have four events in 2021,” Franquelli said.

All sports disciplines in the biennial meet are up for approval by the SEA Games Federation, but if Vietnam is successful in lobbying for it, the four handball events in 2021 are men’s and women’s indoor and beach competitions.

Franquelli said that if the national team starts training as early as January, the Philippines should be a solid bet for podium finishes in all four events – just like in the previous SEA Games.

“Remember that both Vietnam and Thailand started handball in 1998, pero tayo back in 2012 introduction pa lang sa atin. In 2018 the challenge for us was forming the beach handball team nung nalaman na natin kasama sa SEA Games here,” said Franquelli.

“This year, before the SEA Games, isa lang ang talagang naging international exposure natin, Asian Beach Handball Championship. Pero nagawa nating mag-bronze medal (out of five countries).”

“So kaya talaga nating mga Pilipino. Kaya kung gusto nating mas may laban, we should start training by January 2020. Then hopefully, we’ll be given the necessary international exposure this year an next year,” she added.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Six sports—surfing, jiujitsu, kurash, sambo, bridge and modern pentathlon—have been accepted as regular members by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

The approval of the six, done during Tuesday’s General Assembly, brought the number of POC voting members to 51, including two members of the Athletes’ Commission and International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski.

POC president Bambol Tolentino said the inclusion of the six sports was voted on unanimously.

Tolentino, widely credited for the Philippines’ rousing success in the winning the overall crown of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, said these sports are being played in the Asian region.

Meanwhile, Tolentino likewise revealed that even the silver and bronze medalists during the SEAG are also going to be rewarded for their efforts.

“I was even criticized for deciding to give the silver and bronze medalists cash incentives and I told them to just sue me,” said Tolentino, who declined to name the two POC members who raised an issue over the decision to award non-gold medalists.

“I would like to ask them this: Is it bad to give?”

There were 149 gold, 119 silver and 121 bronze medals harvested by the hosts during the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 SEAG.

Source: Manila Bulletin

LOOK: Top photos of Manila Bulletin in the 30th Southeast Asian Games for Dec. 5, 2019

Featuring:

• Margie Didal, Daniel Ledderman reign in Game of Skate
• PH volleybelles give Thais game to remember

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Rubilen Amit bested Fan Langtong of China 9-4 on Tuesday to become the last Filipino standing in the 2019 Women’s World 9-Ball Championships in Sanya, China.

The 38-year-old Southeast Asian Games gold medalist recovered from a 0-3 start by winning the next four racks en route to the Round-of-16.

She arranged a meeting with Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wan Ling, who was responsible for ousting PH bet Chezka Centeno 9-5 in the opening round of the main draw competition.

Centeno, 20, booked a slot to the 32-player main draw field by dismantling Korea’s Lee Woo Jin 7-1 in the group stage but lost steam against her Taiwanese foe.

Floriza Andal and Iris Ranola failed to make it to the knockout stage after bowing to last year’s runner-up Wang Xiaotong of China and Chou Chieh Yu of Chinese Taipei with identical 7-1 decisions.

Amit hopes to eclipse her best finish of a runner-up feat in 2007 to China’s Pan Xiaoting.

Source: Manila Bulletin

LOOK: Top photos of Manila Bulletin in the 30th Southeast Asian Games for Dec. 4, 2019

Featuring:

• SEA Games: James Deiparine puts end to 10-year swimming gold drought
• SEA Games: Margie Didal, Daniel Ledderman reign in Game of Skate
• SEA Games: PH men’s volleyball team stuns Vietnam, remains unscathed

Source: Manila Bulletin

LOOK: Top photos of Manila Bulletin in the 30th Southeast Asian Games for Dec. 3, 2019

Featuring:

• SEA Games: Agatha Wong secures back-to-back gold
  
• Carlos Yulo ends SEA Games campaign with three more silvers
• Margaret Colonia wins silver medal in first SEA Games

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Spencer Dinwiddie and the Brooklyn Nets didn’t sound bothered that a team that hasn’t won in almost a month took them to overtime.

They were more gratified to know their defense could bail them out on nights when shots aren’t falling.

Dinwiddie scored 31 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat New Orleans 108-101 in overtime on Tuesday night, extending the Pelicans’ franchise-long losing streak to 13 games.

“I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s the same old thing,” Dinwiddie said. “If we can hold a team to 100, then we have a chance to win.

“Tonight, we were pretty bad offensively,” he added.

Joe Harris scored 24 points as he and Dinwiddie scored more than half of the Nets’ points on a night when they shot 41.7% (40 of 96) and missed 28 of 39 3s.

“The shots will definitely come. We’ve just got to continue to be aggressive,” Harris said. “Sometimes you’re going to have a couple of games — a stretch — where you might be off, but what’s important is that the defense has been constant throughout. That’s something that’s really encouraging, that when you can play that solid defensively and give yourself a chance to win.”

Harris curled to the right wing on a play drawn up out of a timeout, received the inbound pass and immediately pulled up for his fifth 3 of the game to put Brooklyn ahead 104-98 with 1:28 to go in the extra period.

Brandon Ingram quickly responded with a 3, but the Pelicans, who missed 71 of 108 shots on the night, got no closer.
“The guys, they are still competing and playing hard,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “This was probably our best defensive game against a team that’s really a good offensive team. … I didn’t think we got discouraged. I though we played. I thought we battled. We just came up short.”

Ingram had 22 points and 10 rebounds but missed 10 of his first 11 shots before scoring all but two of his points after halftime. Jrue Holiday scored 21 points for the Pelicans, who kept the game competitive despite shooting 34.3% and missing 29 of 40 from 3-point range.

Jarrett Allen had 12 points, 14 rebounds and tied a career-high with six blocks for the Nets, who’ve won five of seven.
“It was an ugly game,” said Allen, whose transition dunk to tie the game at 93 in the final minute of regulation. “I don’t know how we pulled it out.”

No team led by more than eight points in a game with 14 lead changes and 13 ties.

Brooklyn looked primed to take control when Taurean Prince scored his first points of the game on a transition 3 with 2:53 left in regulation for an 89-83 Nets lead.

But the Pelicans quickly responded with Holiday’s layup and Lonzo Ball’s 3, then took a 93-91 lead when Holiday was fouled while attempting a two-handed dunk that rolled in off the front rim.

Holiday and Dinwiddie both missed 3s in the final half-minute or regulation.

“They’re going to break their streak. We’re just happy it wasn’t against us,” said Nets guard and former LSU star Garrett Temple. “For us to be in OT after shooting the way we did against a desperate team like that on the road, we felt good that we were going to be able to close them out.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Asssociated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, including eight as the Utah Jazz closed the game with a 19-5 run for a 109-102 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

With the Jazz trailing 97-90, Mitchell awoke a moribund offense and energized the crowd with a highlight-reel dunk in traffic. That sparked the clinching spurt for Utah (16-11), which has won three in a row.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored nine of his 30 points during the late surge, and Joe Ingles had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

D.J. Augustin had 22 points off the bench and Evan Fournier added 19 for the Magic, who fell to 12-15.

After a 3-pointer by Ingles and a free throw by Ed Davis, the Jazz led 82-65. But the Magic mounted a quick comeback against Utah’s struggling bench players.

Fournier’s basket capped a 12-0 run to get the Magic to 82-77 early in the final quarter. Orlando then overcame an eight-point deficit to lead 97-90 after a 15-0 spurt powered by Augustin’s seven points.

Nikola Vucevic, in his second game back after an 11-game absence, had 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting. He grabbed 11 rebounds.

Mike Conley returned for the Jazz after missing five games with a tight hamstring but left in the third quarter when the pain returned. He had seven points and six assists.

A game after hitting a season-high 17 3-pointers, the Magic missed their first 10 attempts from beyond the arc and ended up 7 for 35 from 3-point range as they seemed reticent to challenge Rudy Gobert inside.

Gobert had a double-double by halftime with 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Jazz built a 58-47 lead at the break.
One sequence typified the way the Jazz want to play. Mitchell drove the lane and passed the ball to Bogdanovic, who moved it to Royce O’Neale and around the 3-point line to Ingles, who found Mitchell in the corner for an open 3.

Ingles, who has primarily been a reserve this season, began starting when Conley was out and has been scoring and shooting at a much higher clip. The Australian forward stayed in the starting lineup.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Carlo Biado, Johann Chua and Jeffrey Ignacio crashed out of the World 9-Ball Championship after suffering round-of-32 defeats Monday at the Al-Arabi Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

Biado absorbed an 11-10 defeat to American Billy Thorpe in a hill-hill affair, Chua fell 11-6 to Japan’s Naoyuki Oi and Ignacio lost 11-9 to Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi.

Their exits left no Philippine representatives in the round-of-16 of the annual event for the first time since 2016.

The three had hoped to rebound from their struggles in the 30th Southeast Asian Games that saw them settling for bronze medals in the men’s 10-ball doubles.

While Chua and Ignacio gained early berths in the knockout stages, Biado had to make it the hard way after absorbing a 9-3 loss to Chile’s Enrique Rojas in the opener.

Biado defeated Jordan’s Hassan Shajada 9-4 in the loser’s bracket before surviving Qatar’s Bashar Abdulmajeed 11-10.

Meanwhile, Fil-Canadian Alex Pagulayan was eliminated in the quarterfinals by China’s Liu Haitao 11-8.

Pagulayan, who represents Canada, reached the last eight after a 11-9 win over Thorpe.

Source: Manila Bulletin