A Philippine Under-18 team led by teen sensation Kobe Paras lost its first match in the Fiba 3x3 Under-18 world championship, falling to Poland, 13-15, on Thursday.
Paras, 18, had nine points while Ricci Rivero added four for the Filipino teenagers, who lost a close match to the taller Poles in an outdoor court in Debrecen, Hungary.
The UCLA-bound Paras later took the blame for the loss in a tweet, but vowed to bounce back.
"This 1st game was my fault. Sorry to all the people who are supporting us. I've made too much mistakes. We will definitely bounce back!" the son of former PBA star Benjie said in a tweet.
The Philippine youngsters, who also include Michael Nieto and Richard Escoto, will have little time to rest as they face host Hungary in a later match in Pool B which also has Russia, Uruguay and Kazakhstan.
The top two teams from the four brackets advance to the knockout quarterfinals.
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