TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Xinzhuang Gymnasium was packed on Sunday (July 21) for a showdown of unbeaten teams, Taiwan Blue and Philippines’ Strong Group-Pilipinas in a thrilling winner-take-all contest to hoist the 43 Jones Cup crown.
Taiwan led for much of the game but allowed the Philippine team to claw back with a 9-0 run that put the visiting team up 73-71. Fortunately, Taiwan held its composure and made a clutch shot with time expiring, knotting the game at 73-73.
Overtime saw Taiwan largely on the back foot struggling to fight off the Philippines' late-game momentum, led by top scorer Tajuan Agee, who finished with 21 points and 9-of-9 from the free throw line. It came down to free throws in OT, with Taiwan missing half their shots from the charity stripe.
A fumbled inbound pass by Taiwan resulted in a turnover, making a four-point lead insurmountable, with Taiwan losing by a final score of 83-79.
Before the start of the game, both teams met at half court for a moment of silence for the sudden passing of basketball coach Lin Cheng-ming (林正明), who died at 63 on Sunday (July 21). Lin coached in the Super Basketball League (SBL) with the Yulon Dinos, though he was better known for his 15-year stint with perennial high school basketball league powerhouse Nengren High School of Commerce.
During his time as a coach, he cultivated many of Taiwan’s top basketball talents, such as the current national men’s basketball players Cheng Ying-jun (陳盈駿) and Yu Ai-che (游艾喆). Lin will be remembered for a lasting legacy of what he taught on and off the court.
Earlier in the day, Taiwan White (a younger, developmental team) defeated Japan’s U22 team 80-75 to finish fifth in the tournament. Other finishers included Ukraine (third), Malaysia (fourth), and Japan U22 (sixth).
After the tournament, Deshaun Highler, star of Netflix’s “Last Chance U” on the roster for Future Sports USA, promised to come back next year in better shape and compete for the championship.
“I was impressed by the play, which was strong, fast, and very detailed. It’s a serious competition, and like many international games, there is a lot of emphasis on coaching and different match-ups with a lot of structured play," Highler said.
When asked to analyze the play of the Philippine team, Highler said a lot of offensive plays went through Tajuan Agee and Chris McCullough. But McCullough struggled in the championship game after an otherwise strong tournament performance.
As for aspiring young players watching the competition, Highler encouraged them to work on their skills and get into the best possible shape. He used the example of Steph Curry from the Golden State Warriors, who, despite being one of the best shooters in the NBA, is also in phenomenal shape and can outrun most players on the court.
After the game, a member of Australia’s BSBL team, which was a last-minute addition to the competition, said he thoroughly enjoyed the whole tournament and the camaraderie, noting that everyone was staying in the same hotel and meeting regularly at the breakfast buffet.
The Australian team had a core group of semi-professional players, including some from South Sudan, who have been playing in Australia’s National Basketball League. In a recent Olympic tune-up, the South Sudan team narrowly lost to the U.S. team led by Lebron James by just one point.
