Philippines suffers heartbreaking loss to Afghanistan at Hangzhou Asian Para Games
HANGZHOU – In a thrilling match at the Hangzhou Olympic Center Gymnasium, the Philippines fell short of their comeback bid, losing 49-53 to Afghanistan in the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games wheelchair basketball tournament on Friday, Oct. 20.
The game was a closely contested battle, with the Pilipinas Warriors coming tantalizingly close to upsetting Afghanistan. They trailed 49-50 with 1:32 left on the clock after a drive by Kenneth Christopher Tapia. However, they were unable to take the lead and ended up absorbing their second straight loss in Group A.
In the final moments of the game, Sayed Wasim Sadat and Fazal Aziz Malik combined for three crucial points to secure the victory for Afghanistan. It was a bounce-back performance after their 91-33 victory over Iran the previous day.
Despite the loss, the Philippines received strong performances from Kenneth Christopher Tapia, who contributed 22 points, and John Rey Escalante, who scored 14 points. The duo carried the scoring load for the Pilipinas Warriors as big man Alfie Cabañog was closely marked and held to only eight points.
Next, the Pilipinas Warriors will aim to secure their first win in their 4th Asian Games debut against Thailand. Thailand had a narrow 70-65 defeat to China in their group match. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday and is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Afghanistan’s Arsalah Afzali proved to be a prolific scorer, contributing 20 points, while Asadulla Abdulla Rahimzai added 10 points with his physical style of play. The Afghan team led by example and made clutch plays throughout the game.
Coach Vernon Perea praised his team’s effort despite the loss, stating: “It was a very close game compared to the previous one, but we had some breaks that didn’t go our way in the end. The last five minutes were crucial, and we made some mistakes.”
Perea also noted the physicality of the Afghan team, mentioning an incident in which Tapia’s left hand was run over by an Afghan player. Despite the challenges, Perea encouraged his players as they faced Thailand, a team that has defeated the Pilipinas Warriors in the previous ASEAN Para Games.
Trailing 18-30 at halftime, the Pilipinas Warriors came alive in the third quarter, led by Escalante’s six points. They went on a pivotal 12-2 run, capped by Cabañog’s short basket, closing the gap to 30-32 and changing the complexion of the game.
The Philippines’ downfall was their poor free throw shooting, as they missed 23 of their 32 attempts from the stripe, converting at a measly 28 percent clip. In contrast, Afghanistan made six of their 10 free throw attempts, shooting 60 percent.
Additionally, Afghanistan outrebounded the Philippines 51-38 and secured 14 offensive rebounds, leading to more second chance points.
The Pilipinas Warriors will need to address these issues and put up a strong performance against Thailand to turn their fortunes around in the tournament.
