“The Crunchman” returns to PBA, signs with Converge

The Alas Pilipinas Boys bounced back from their opening-day defeat with a 25-22, 13-25, 25-23, 25-14 victory over Bahrain in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Boys’ U18 Championship on Monday at the Wuyuan River Gymnasium in Haikou, China.

The win improved the Philippines to a 1-1 record in Pool B and kept its quarterfinal hopes alive. The Filipinos will face India on Tuesday at 1 p.m. in a crucial match, with the winner joining unbeaten Iran (2-0) in the next round.

Only the top two teams from each of the tournament’s four pools will advance to the quarterfinals.

Despite having just six weeks to prepare for the championship, head coach Oliver Balse was pleased with the team’s poise and response after Saturday’s straight-set loss to Iran.

“What was different today was their confidence,” Balse said. “I’m happy with how they performed. The team was more focused, and you could see how badly they wanted to win, especially in the third set.”

The Philippines regained control of the match in the pivotal third frame. After a 16-all deadlock, Alas launched a 6-4 run behind Terrence Marticion and Raphael Galapin to build a 22-20 advantage.

Bahrain threatened late as Mohamed Haram sparked a 3-0 run to trim the deficit to 24-23, but a net violation handed the Philippines the set and a 2-1 lead.

Alas then dominated the fourth set from start to finish, cruising to a 25-14 win to avoid a deciding fifth frame.

Marticion led the Philippines with 16 points on 15 attacks and one block, while Galapin and Guerra chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Mohamed Haram paced Bahrain with 18 points, while Nasralla Haram added 16.

Bahrain will also take on Iran on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the tournament, South Korea (2-0) and Japan (1-0) lead their pool, while Saudi Arabia (0-2) and Australia (0-1) remain in pursuit. In Pool A, host China and Chinese Taipei are among the early contenders, while Pakistan strengthened its position atop Pool C with a perfect 2-0 record.

NLEX Road Warriors survived a hard-fought battle against Terrafirma Dyip, 101-100, in the PBA Governor's Cup last night, at the Ynares Center.

NLEX controlled the game in the first three quarters, not until Terrafirma attempted a comeback in the final frame. 

Terrafirma managed to trim their deficit by outscoring the Road Warriors 33-11, including Justin Strings' mid-range jumper to cut the lead in just one point in the 4th quarter.

NLEX held their composure on defense in the final seconds, and Geo Chiu's successful offensive rebound already ran out of time to put a quality bucket, which secured the Road Warriors' victory. 

DeQuan Jones led his team with 30 points, while Schonny Winston and Robert Bolick added 13 and 12 points, respectively. 

Under new head coach Jimmy Alapag, the Road Warriors improved to 2-0 in the conference. They are scheduled to face Titan Ultra Giant Risers on July 14. 

The Alas Pilipinas Boys found Iran a tough nut to crack, falling 17-25, 20-25, 13-25 on the opening day of the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship at the Wuyuan River Gymnasium in Haikou, China.

Iran asserted its dominance early in the opening set with 21 attack points, while the Alas Boys managed only eight.

The nationals came alive in the second set, tying the score at 19-19 behind the efforts of Djomari Gamotea, Raphael Galapin, and Elijah Marticion.

However, Iran responded with a 6-1 run sparked by middle blockers Heydari Sefat Pedram and Chodorarkhoei Aydin and never looked back, securing the straight-set victory in one hour and five minutes.

“We just fell short despite tying the score at 19-19 in the second set,” head coach Oliver Balse said. “We need to work on our defense.”

Marticion led Alas Pilipinas with eight points on seven attacks and one block, while Galapin and Ar-Raquib Dais added five points each.

Nima Piri and Abolfazl Pashaamiri chipped in 16 and 15 points, respectively, for Iran.

“We’ll keep working and fighting to get better,” Balse said. “The skills are there; it’s a matter of bringing them out.,” he added.

The Philippine team—organized under the supervision of the Philippine Olympic Committee and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission—faces Bahrain at 1 p.m. on Monday, while Iran aims to improve to 2-0 against India at 10 a.m.

The Philippine youth volleyball team begins its campaign in the AVC Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship this Sunday in Haikou, China, aiming to secure a spot in the 2027 FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship.

The top four teams in the 16-nation tournament will qualify for the world meet.

The Philippines, which has wing spikers Al-Raquib Dais, Gary Ivan Dayrit, Terrence Marticion, Raphael Galapin, Elijah Yeuzef Guzman, John Daniel Dela Cruz, and Luigi Molina in its roster, battles Iran in its Pool B opener on Sunday.

Led by head coach Oliver Balse, the Filipinos open Pool B play against Iran on Sunday, face Bahrain on Monday, and take on India on Tuesday.

Pool A features China, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong, while Thailand headlines Pool C alongside Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Pool D consists of Japan, Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.

In John Amores' return to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), he posted on his Facebook account following his comeback game against the Terrafirma Dyip.

“Psalms 62:1-8,” he wrote.

Amores scored five points in nine minutes of action, but his team fell short, 113-100.

Amores was involved in a shooting incident in 2024, which led to the league banning him for two years and revoking his professional basketball license.

He later regained his license and is now cleared to play in the country's premier professional basketball league.