AMMAN & AS SALT (Jordan) - The last day of the Group Phase saw some intense historical battles as we know see a clearer picture heading towards the next stage of the competition.
Here are three key takeaways from all of the action in Gameday 3:
China are hungry
In what might have been the biggest game of the Group Phase at this U18 Asia Cup, China erupted with emotions that are usually reserved for later stages in the competition.
How could they not be after overcoming a 12-point deficit and getting the victory on a come-from-behind, game-winning three-pointer with less than 20 second left in the game? And to do that against a regional rival who they have a long history of playing against multiple times in the competition, regular with a lot on the line?
China were far from perfect in this game, allowing Japan to control both the tempo and the board, but they took over when it counted. In a competition like this, that's what matters. There might have been some doubts coming in about how capable China are of going all the way as all-time leaders in U18 Asia Cup titles and how much they want it, but seeing how they battled back and how they reacted afterwards is a good sign for Chinese basketball fans.
It's also reassuring when you have two strong-willed studs like Ruiqi Duan and Boyuan Zhang.
Ndao is him
It took a few games, but Mohamed Ndao finally put up the beast-like numbers we were used to seeing from him at the U16 Asia Cup last year here at the U18 level.
35 points, 17 rebounds, and 44 EFF to not only top all players in all categories so far in Jordan, but to also set personal highs in a FIBA Asia competition except for rebounds where he fell one short. Qatar need performances like these from Ndao to succeed, in which they did with their first win over Kazakhstan, so it was good to see him reach this level of productivity.
That's a lot to ask from the young gun, but he's now proven in his second U18 Asia Cup that he's up to the challenge.
Korea are not playing around
2018 champs Australia continue to establish themselves as one of the best teams here in Jordan (as mentioned) by routing Chinese Taipei, 113-48.
2022 champs Korea also made statement wins in their final game of the Group Phase against a very solid teams in Iran.
Historically, Iran have made it through to the Quarter-Finals in all editions of the U18 Asia Cup since 2000. They've played against Korea in every edition of the competition since 2002 with the head-to-head record in favor of Korea by only 6-5 advantage heading into this clash.
So for Korea to come out with a 23-point blowout - their biggest win over Iran in a youth event since the turn of the century - says a lot more about how serious Korea are for this campaign that it initially seems.
FIBA