Gilas girls set up final vs Lebanon, shot at Division A spot

Gilas Pilipinas girls’ Ava Fajardo during a Fiba U18 Women’s Asia Cup Division B game against Samoa. –FIBA PHOTO

Gilas girls set up final vs Lebanon—and a shot at Group A spot Gilas Pilipinas moved to the doorstep of promotion in the Fiba U18 Women’s Asia Cup on Saturday following a 71-47 rout of Samoa.

And with the way the young Nationals performed, coach Julie Amos couldn’t ask for more.

“[That] was a game to remember—the team showed so much character until the end of the buzzer. Everyone was into it,” the national mentor messaged the Inquirer on the heels of the rout at Futian Sports Park in Shenzhen, China, that had the Philippines reaching the you-or-me finalé of the tournament.

Amos knows the zest and poise her charges showed in the semifinal are just what they need when they battle Lebanon 2 p.m. on Sunday for a passage to the continental showcase’s topflight division.

The Philippines showed it could smoothen the creases in its game quickly and find another gear for a strong finishing kick in that conquest of Samoa.

After a lethargic second period, the Gilas girls cranked things up in the final half, scoring nearly thrice as much as the enemy in the final period, 22-8.

Ava Fajardo, an integral cog of Gilas’ U16 campaign last year, was at the forefront of the Philippines attack with 19 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

“[W]e had a great mentality and I think that’s what came out in the game, everyone went in, and we all made the most of our minutes, all of our work was out on the floor in that game,” she said.

Naomi Panganiban added 12 points, five rebounds and four steals while birthday girl Sophia Canindo and Alicia Villanueva chipped in 11 points each in a collective effort that had Amos singing praises.

Saturday’s win eased the heartaches off a botched bid in India two years ago, when the Philippines—which dismantled opponents left and right early in the tournament—faltered late against eventual champion Malaysia and missed out on a chance to join continental powerhouses China, Australia and Japan in Division A.

But Amos also knows that this year’s run is far from done.

“We hope to continue doing the work as a team,” the longtime member of the Gilas women coaching staff said. “[W]e’ll prepare even harder. The mission is not done yet.”

Men’s team update

There is reason to hope that the mission will be successful: The Filipinos dismantled Lebanon in the group stage, 89-63, behind Panganiban’s 25 points.

Over at the other side of the globe, the men’s team took on World No. 15 Poland hoping to apply the finishing touches on its preparations for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT). The Nationals, who refused to feel good after a narrow loss to higher-ranked Turkiye last Friday, played against a Polish side also plotting and priming for the OQT.

The White and Red, led by San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, are bunched in Group B of the other OQT that will be played in Valencia, Spain.

Meanwhile, the Latvians finally tasted defeat in their own series of test games, stumbling against Finland, 90-84, going 1-1 ahead of hosting Gilas on their home turf this July 2.

Georgia, on the other hand, finally tabbed its first win in its string of friendlies after crushing Egypt, 78-46. The Crusaders, who wrapped their preps with a 1-3 win-loss record, are also slotted with Gilas in Group A of the Riga OQT.