Gilas Pilipinas Girls at the Fiba U16 Women’s Asian Championship in Jordan. Photo from Fiba
MANILA, Philippines-Save for the first two minutes of the finalé, the Philippines played with sustained brilliance all game long to dismantle Iran, 83-60, on Sunday (Monday morning in Manila) to rule Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship in Jordan.
Gilas rolled up its sleeves in the second quarter, turning in a 15-0 run that put Iran firmly in the backseat, and eventually, an end to the long chase for top-flight status.
With the victory, the Philippines has now ascended to Division A, where continental heavyweights Australia, China, and Japan compete.
Nevaeh Smith starred with 21 points while Ava Fajardo chipped in 12 more in the scoring effort at Prince Hamza Hall in the city of Amman.
Gilas led by as many as 27 points.
Photo from Fiba
Ariel de la O put up another double-double performance, turning in 10 points and 10 rebounds in the victory that capped a spotless tear in the very venue where the program took a gut punch last year.
Gilas was also on a perfect run when it found itself at the nasty end of an upset at the hands of Samoa that put an abrupt end to its bid to tab a Division A promotion.
The championship in Jordan gives the program another reason to celebrate following a promising campaign by the women’s team in the Asia Cup in Sydney, Australia, just two weeks ago.
There, the squad led by Jack Animam and Afril Bernardino finally won in the group phase and threatened heavy favorites New Zealand and South Korea.
Helya Houdneh and Fatemeh Jafari scored 14 each for Iran, who also came into the you-or-me clash with an unbeaten record. They settle for a second-place finish.
Meanwhile, Malaysia salvaged a third-place finish after nipping Hong Kong, 52-46.