SGA-Pilipinas overcomes ROC Blue, claims 43rd William Jones Cup title
The William Jones Cup title has once again found its way into the hands of the Filipinos.
After a less than stellar seventh-place finish by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, last year’s representatives, Strong Group-Pilipinas rose to the occasion and clinched the Jones Cup crown for the Philippines in a thrilling 83-79 overtime victory over Chinese Taipei-Blue in a virtual gold-medal showdown on July 21 at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.
The last time the Philippines dominated the tournament was in 2019 under the Mighty Sports team, also guided by Strong Group’s skilled tactician Charles Tiu.
Despite missing the past two games due to food poisoning, American import Tajuan Agee showcased his talent by leading the Philippines with a game-high 21 points, shooting an impressive 9-of-9 from the foul line, and grabbing 9 rebounds.
Supporting Agee was Filipino-American guard DJ Fenner, who contributed 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Barangay Ginebra rookie RJ Abarrientos delivered 14 points, making 4-of-8 shots from beyond the arc.
Although Chris McCullough struggled throughout the game, he came through in crunch time, scoring a crucial basket in overtime before fouling out, giving the Filipinos a vital 80-78 lead with 2:43 left.
Despite McCullough’s low output of 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting, Strong Group rallied back when it counted most, going on a 9-0 run in the final minutes, capped by a Kiefer Ravena three-pointer, securing a 73-71 lead with just 13.2 seconds remaining.
The game was forced into overtime when Chinese Taipei-Blue’s Brandon Gilbeck tied the game with a putback layup off a blocked shot by Rhenz Abando.
In overtime, Chinese Taipei-Blue had a chance to even the score at 80-all with 14.4 seconds left, but Jianhao Ma only made one of his two free throws.
Strong Group sealed the victory with Jordan Heading and Fenner sinking three consecutive free throws, completing an impressive 8-0 sweep of the single round-robin tournament.
