Strong group in final four

MANILA, Philippines — Strong Group took care of business against Morocco’s As Sale, 92-80, and marched on to the Final Four of the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship yesterday at the Al Nasr Club.

Andre Roberson led four players in double digits with 18 points and nine rebounds as the Filipino bets ran away in the second quarter and never looked back for a convincing quarterfinal win.

Dwight Howard had 17 points and 12 rebounds while McKenzie Moore added the same output for Strong Group, which finally slayed the ghost of its past after settling for a quarterfinal finish last edition.

Kevin Quiambao fired two triples for 15 points and five assists as Strong Group arranged a rematch against Beirut in the knockout semifinals today to move closer to its mission of duplicating Mighty Sports’ feat as the first non-Middle Eastern champion team in Dubai in 2020.

Beirut, which bowed to Strong Group in the prelims, 95-73, stunned the Tunisia national team with an 88-82 win to advance. The other semis bracket features reigning champion Al Riyadi of Lebanon and Libya’s Al Ahly Tripoli Sports Club.

Quiambao, as Strong Group’s strongest performer thus far, notched his sixth straight double-digit outing after leading the team owned by Frank and Jacob Lao in its 5-0 wipeout of Group B to barge into the Top 8 unscathed.

But against the lower-ranked team in As Sale, No. 4 in Group A, Strong Group needed some time to find its groove.

The Charles Tiu-coached club got off to subpar start at 5-12 and still stared at a 19-21 deficit after the opening salvo before outscoring the Moroccan rival in the succeeding period, 25-15.

Strong Group never relaxed from there on, leading by as many as 16 points for yet another dominant victory after sweeping the group phase by a winning margin average of 14.2 points.

“It was a rough start for us in how to get our bearings together. They gave us our best shot. We came out strong together in the second half and came out on top,” said Roberson, a former NBA All-Defensive Team member who spent seven seasons with the OKC Thunder.

“That’s what it’s all about. Sticking together, fighting through adversity and coming out with the win.”

Williams Tyler (20) and Ilias Aqboub (10) paced As Sale.