By el Amigo
MANILA — Instead of allowing the controversy surrounding its semifinal elimination to overshadow its final game, defending champion Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas answered with a statement performance, crushing host Chinese Taipei Blue, 117-74, Thursday to close the 2026 William Jones Cup group stage with a 5-1 record.
The defending champions entered the game already knowing that their bid for a third consecutive Jones Cup title had ended under the tournament’s much-questioned format.
Still, SGA-Pilipinas showed no signs of losing focus, overwhelming Chinese Taipei Blue from the opening tip and building a commanding advantage that reached 49 points.
The victory capped an impressive preliminary-round campaign for SGA, which won five of its six games but failed to reach the semifinals, no thanks to a controversial tournament format.
South Korea’s Wonju DB Promy secured the lone legitimate semifinal berth from Group A after beating Japan, 75-64, earlier Thursday. The result gave the Korean side the tiebreaker advantage over SGA-Pilipinas.
Chinese Taipei Blue, meanwhile, was assured of a semifinal slot regardless of its final standing because of its host status.
The unusual setup left SGA-Pilipinas eliminated despite matching Wonju DB Promy’s 5-1 record.
SGA team owner Frank Lao, however, chose not to add fuel to the controversy and declined to directly criticize the tournament organizers.
“Wala akong masasabi dyan,” Lao said.
He instead cited the advice of his mother: “Ang sa akin lang, susundin ko ang payo ng nanay ko, ‘wag mong kunin ang bagay na hindi talaga para sa ’yo!’”
With their title defense over, SGA-Pilipinas closed its group campaign by letting its performance speak for itself—a dominant 43-point blowout victory that highlighted the team’s strength despite its disappointing exit.
elamigo/xf
