Double kill against Korea

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas men’s and boys’ teams scored a double kill against Korea in gigs held 16 hours and over 7,000 kilometers apart.

In their only tuneup ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Nationals stamped their class on Korean club Changwon LG Sakers, 86-81, in front of a roaring crowd at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig last night.

Justin Brownlee banged in a game-high 19 points, including seven in the final canto, to lead Tim Cone’s charges to victory two days before the Pinoy dribblers fly to China.

The Asiad-bound crew took the cue from the Gilas boys, who broke the Korean curse via a 95-71 romp in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in the wee hours of Friday over at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

Gilas started strong and seized an early 34-point lead en route to the country’s first-ever against South Korea at the youth level that secured a knockout quarterfinal duel against unbeaten Japan.

A win by Gilas U16 at 12:30 a.m. (Manila time) against the Japanese bets, who swept Group B for an outright ticket in the Last 8, would catapult the squad to the semifinals and a guaranteed ticket to the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey.

Five players finished in twin digits led by Joaquin Gabriel Ludovice’s 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting from downtown laced by five assists as Gilas finally got one over South Korea after bowing in its previous nine meetings, both in the U16 and U18 tournaments.

Kurt Nathan Velasquez and CJ Amos added 17 and 10 points, respectively, while Bonn Ervin Daja hauled down 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kieffer Louie Alas, the team’s leading scorer, took a backseat this time but still had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

At home, Cone used the friendly with the Sakers to