By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Philippine-based hoops team Strong Group continued to dominate in the ongoing Dubai International Basketball Championship after racking up its third win in a row while keeping its record unblemished.
After dispatching the United Arab Emirates national team and Libya’s Al Nasr club, the Charles Tiu-mentored team picked up where they left off and crushed Al Wahda from Syria, 87-61, last January 31, 2023.
Former NBA sniper and one of Strong Group’s imports, Shabazz Muhammad, had his best performance so far and dropped 37 markers.
The past San Miguel Beermen reinforcement was just too much for the Syrian hoops team as he sank his signature one-handed leftie flip shots at will.
Once Muhammad got it going in the first six minutes of action, coach Tiu then turned to him for the rest of the night and told his guys to keep feeding the hottest hands inside the playing court.
Veteran power forward Renaldo Balkman stayed consistent on both ends of the floor and stabilized Strong Group’s executions especially on the defensive end.
The former New York Knicks swingman was a point short of another double-double outing and finished the ball game with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Young Gilas Pilipinas cadet Kevin Quiambao also showed off his bag after dishing out sweet dimes while finding his stroke in the baseline with his favorite one-handed floater.
The current De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archer star chipped in seven points while Adamson’s king falcon Jerom Lastimosa contributed 10 points.
Strong Group will have the chance to continue its undefeated streak as they face the tough Dynamo hoops squad of Lebanon in their next scheduled game.
