Alas Pilipinas U18 may have missed the gold in the 3rd Asian Youth after falling to Iran, but the fight isn’t over as the Filipinas are now gunning for bronze against Thailand.
Alas Pilipinas U18’s promising start turned into heartbreak as the Filipinas bowed to Iran, 28-26, 18-25, 19-25, 18-25 in the semifinals of the 3rd Asian Youth Games at Isa Sports City in Bahrain.
Rhose Almendralejo powered the Philippines with 25 points as Sam Cantada chipped in 14, and Raine Alonzo and Ysabella Cruz combined for 12 markers.
A potential upset seemed within reach after Alas U18 snatched the extended opening set in thrilling fashion.
But Iran regrouped and took control the rest of the way, denying the young Filipinas a shot at the gold-medal match while arranging a championship duel with Indonesia.
“First of all, po, masakit po yung natalo po kami. We tried our best, we gave our best in the game, but I think marami pa po kaming kailangang pagtrabahuhan—lapses,” libero Atasha Anne Doroja in the postgame interview.
She added: “Ang masasabi ko lang po is there’s more to grow, bawat isa po sa amin — emotionally pati sa skills. Marami pa po talagang room for improvement. Pagtatrabahuhan namin po ‘yun in the next days, the next months, the next years.”
Despite the loss, Alas U18 remains in the hunt for a podium finish as the country faces familiar rival Thailand in the bronze medal match.
It will be their second encounter in the tournament, with the Philippines looking to avenge its 21-25, 18-25, 14-25 loss in the preliminaries.
“Nakalaban na po namin sila, so di na po siguro bago if papasok kami sa loob ng court. Naaral po namin sila, and mas familiar naman po kami sa kanila ngayon kumpara po sa dati, which is an advantage for us,” Doroja bared.
(With reports from RM Chua/One Sports Digital)
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.