STRONG GROUP ATHLETICS (SGA) notches another dominant sweep at the 44th William Jones Cup, held at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, overpowering the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an 87-62 victory.
The Philippine squad clinched their second straight championship on Sunday, wrapping up the tournament with a flawless 8-0 record, and stretching their unbeaten run to 16 games, following a perfect campaign in 2024 as well.
Strong Group’s journey to an unblemished run wasn’t without its challenges, but their sheer talent proved overwhelming, producing a string of convincing wins with an average margin of 19.38 points.
Among their victories were wins over Chinese-Taipei Blue (67-56), Japan Developmental (79-67), Qatar (81-54), Australia’s NBL1 Rising Stars (91-75), Chinese-Taipei White (107-75), Malaysia (106-98), and Bahrain (92-68).
Reign Supreme
Even with the championship already in hand, Strong Group kept their intensity high. After a sluggish start, the Philippines held a slim 37-36 lead at halftime against the winless UAE.
However, a fiery third-quarter surge—led by Tajuan Agee and Allen Liwag—shifted the momentum, as Strong Group pulled away and entered the final quarter up by ten, 62-52.
“It’s special, especially because I don’t know if we will be able to have this group again,” head coach Charles Tiu told Tiebreaker Times, moments after the team’s historic sweep of the tournament.
“DJ [Fenner] and [Jason] Brickman are probably joining the draft, Javi [Gomez de Liaño] and Rhenz [Abando] will probably have different teams already, and we don’t know where our other guys will be next year.”
“But we had a great group of guys – guys committed to winning and sacrificing for the team. It’s rare to have this kind of chemistry and character on one team,” he added.
Agee paced five players in double digits, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Kiefer Ravena added 13 points along with nine assists, while both Fenner and Ian Miller contributed 12 points apiece.
Looking ahead, Tiu hinted that preparations might already be underway for another international tournament—potentially to be held in the Philippines.
“We haven’t figured out what’s next, but Boss Frank [Lao], Boss Jacob Lao, and I are talking about potentially hosting an invitational in Manila. I’ve spoken to some teams and they’re interested, so let’s see,” he said. “But for now, we’re just going to enjoy the moment here.”
Despite the defeat, UAE drew a strong showing from Filipino-Emirati guard Khalifa Khalil Salem, who posted 18 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Omar Alshabebi followed with 15 points, while Ahmed Albreiki chipped in 11.
