Batang Gilas splits opening day matches, eyes top-two berth
Photo by: Tristan Tamayo/Inquirer.net
The Philippine youth team vies for a top two spot in Pool A Friday night after splitting its first two assignments in the Fiba 3×3 Under-18 World Cup in Chengdu, China.
Led by Filipino-Nigerian AJ Edu, Batang Gilas looks to win over Poland and Turkmenistan to advance to the next round.
The young Filipinos kicked off their campaign with a 19-17 triumph over Israel before falling short against the favored Netherlands, 13-10, Wednesday night.
Edu and Juan Gomez di Liano fueled the Philippines’ comeback against Israel that turned an 11-14 deficit into an 18-15 lead.
Batang Gilas also rallied to tie the Netherlands at 10, but Maik Bouwer sealed the win for the top seed.
The Netherlands topped Pool A at 2-0 in Day 1, while the Philippines—with Encho Serrano and Rhayyan Amsali also in the lineup—wound up tied at 1-1 with Israel and Poland. Turkmenistan remained winless in two outings.
Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the next round.
Last week, the Philippine men’s 3×3 squad bowed out in the first round with a 2-2 record in France. —JASMINE W. PAYO
