By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas Youth escaped Indonesia in a gritty 77-68 win in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers on Wednesday evening at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Unlike their lopsided wins over Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore, the nationals found themselves in a close contest for the first time in the tournament.
But the young Filipinos proved they can also do it even in tight games, relying once again on a balanced attack with five players scoring in double figures.
The win gave Gilas a 4-0 slate and is now the lone unbeaten team.
Gilas boys led 32-28 at halftime before creating a bit of separation from the Indonesians at the end of the third quarter, 57-47.
The visitors, behind prolific scorer Benjamin Piet Hernusi, kept themselves within striking distance in the final quarter.
The Filipinos, however, kept the scrappy Indonesians at bay and repelled any attempts for a comeback.
Prince Cariño led Gilas with 15 points and six rebounds. Travis Pascual contributed 13 markers, Luisito Joel Pascual added 12, while Carl Gabriel Delos Reyes and Everaigne Cruz chipped in 10 apiece.
Gilas is almost assured of the top spot with one more game left in the preliminary round—against Malaysia on Thursday. (PNA)
