MANILA, Philippines – The Gilas Pilipinas Boys’ Under-16 team closed out its SEABA U16 Championships campaign with an unblemished 3-0 record after escaping a major challenge from the host Indonesia, 77-65, on Wednesday, July 19.
It wasn’t a walk in the park for the Filipinos this time as they only managed to pull away from the gritty Indonesians in the second half – a far cry from their first two outings where they dominated their opponents from start to finish for an average winning margin of 39 points.
For the third straight contest, it was Kieffer Alas who shone the brightest for the Philippines as he delivered a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, together with 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
CJ Amos and Kurt Velasquez also continued their solid play and helped Alas carry the scoring cudgels with 14 points apiece.
After finding themselves trailing at the end of the first quarter, 16-21, the Filipinos, led by Alas, turned things around in the second frame and outscored the Indonesians, 22-11, for a 38-32 halftime advantage.
Alas got it going offensively in the second quarter, scoring 8 of his 19 points in that juncture, after being held field goal-less in the opening period.
Indonesia continued to keep in step with the Philippines in the opening minutes of the third salvo, and with the Indonesians trailing by just two possessions, 41-45, the Filipinos ended the quarter on a fiery 20-10 blast for a 65-51 cushion heading into the final frame.
A layup by Velasquez at the 6:16 mark of the payoff period then extended the Philippines’ lead to its biggest at 20 points, 74-54, which ultimately crushed any hopes of an Indonesia upset.
After ending the short, single round-robin tournament at first place, Gilas Boys, together with the second-seeded Malaysia, will see action in the upcoming 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar in September.
Philippines 77 – Alas 19, Amos 14, Velasquez 14, Daja 9, Williams 5, Gomez 4, Morales 3, Chua 3, Ludovice 2, Hachuela 2, Espinas 2, Diao 0.
Indonesia 65 – Putra 19, Setiawan 17, Enrichia 10, Leonardy 9, Christiano 5, Boentara 3, Krisnanjaya 2, Hendrawan 0, Rusli 0, Dananjaya 0, Sundinata 0.
Quarters: 16-21, 38-32, 65-51, 77-65.
– Rappler.com
