By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Strong Group-Pilipinas survived its toughest test in the ongoing William Jones Cup basketball tournament so far after escaping Ukraine, 82-74, on July 15, 2024, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.
Trailing by five points with only 2:39 remaining in the game, Strong Group banked on the 1-2 punch of Chris McCullough and Kiefer Ravena that steered the PHL-based hoops club to a come-from-behind victory.
Ravena kicked off Strong Group’s comeback effort after nailing a much-needed three-pointer that pulled the PHL to within a deuce, 70-72.
After a completed defensive stop, McCullough came through for Strong Group after giving them the lead, 73-72, courtesy of a tough foul-counted drive from the left baseline.
Ukraine produced another great look that set up an open perimeter jump shot attempt but fortunately, the shot missed and gave Strong Group the chance to further push their lead to a comfortable margin.
In the most crucial stretch of the game, McCullough put the entire Strong Group squad in his back after cashing in a cold-blooded three-pointer that ballooned their advantage to four points, 76-72, with only a minute left in the game.
To cap off the impressive win, Strong Group put the clamps on Ukraine after only limiting them to two points in the final 59 seconds while McCullough added another bucket to complete the game-changing 8-0 run he made.
McCullough led all scorers in the game after erupting for 28 big points to go alongside six rebounds and two assists.
Meanwhile, Ravena, added 10 markers, four rebounds, and three dimes. Backstopping them is Jordan Heading who became the team’s second-leading scorer with 24 points derived from four treys.
It was a see-saw affair in the first three quarters of the game as both squads exchanged lead changes and scoring runs.
In the third quarter, Ukraine finally got their three-point shooting rhythm which became the biggest reason why they were able to protect their lead.
However, McCullough and Ravena stepped up when Strong Group needed them the most in the clutch, helping the PHL improve to an undefeated 3-0 win-loss record in Taiwan.
