Doha: Gilas under-18, the Philippine national youth basketball squad, was so dominating on their games against their host all-star selection Qatar Falcon teams from the veterans to their peers which they each easily demolished with wide leads of convincing victories.
The invitational two-day games dubbed Laban Pilipinas organised by Pinoy Basketball of Qatar (PIBAQ) and Samahan ng Basketbol sa Pilipinas (SBP) were part of the tune-up games of the national squad to hasten their international exposure. PIBAQ Youth Camp coordinated by Youth Director Coach Francis Mercado also played a big role in the success of the games.
Gilas dominated in their first day game against the Falcons, composed of hard court idols playing in PIBAQ tournament, 91-73, after they started to pull away early in the second quarter and never looked back.
They repeated a similar peat in their game against the Falcon’s Under 21 selection, with a more dictating passion with a large edge win, 110-43, showing its reigning prowess as if they are already on a par with top global teams in their age category. The Falcon’s senior squad was led by big man centre and former Philippine Basketball Association standout Rodel Mallari with 23 points backed up by point guards Eric Tamayo and P J Castillo who contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively, but their veterans’ move was hardly felt and was inferior enough to play side by side with a bigger and taller line-up of Filipino youth crew.
John Bahio who played for 25 minutes top scored for Gilas with 24 big points complemented with reliable back-ups Joshua Sinclair and Jonas Tibayan who each chipped in with 13 points.
To balance their play rotation, Rendel Lee sparked with their game against Falcon Under 21 leading with 19 points while Theo Madrigal contributed 15 points.
Gilas dominated the boards and shooting percentage in both games, a test of mettle if there is a new record of improved performance that could be useful in their regular campaign in FIBA tournaments. The tournament was sponsored by Sports Vision, Fraser Suites Doha, Lucky Seven and Shutterbug Photography.
The Peninsula
