Gilas boys bow to Aussies, face China for bronze

MANILA, Philippines -- The fairy tale run of the Gilas Pilipinas boys’ team in the FIBA Asia U16 Cup came to a halt as they ran into a wall that is Australia, 92-36, early Sunday morning in Doha, Qatar.

Australia was just too much right from the get-go, ending the first quarter with a 15-point lead, 22-7.

The swarming Australian defense broke the spirit of the Philippines in the second quarter, allowing the Filipino boys’ team to score just three points as the Aussies took a 45-10 lead.

The lead ballooned to 60 late in the game, 88-28, following a layup by Sa Pilimai with 3:23 remaining in the game.

No Filipino player finished in double digits.

Gilas’ top scorer in the tournament, Kiefer Alas, was held to just two points off of 1-of-7 shooting from the field.

Irus Chua and Cletz Amos led Gilas with six points each.

Four Australians scored in double digits, with Dash Daniels scoring 12 points.

Nash Walker and Pilimai had 11 apiece, while Henry Sewell had 10 points.

Australia hauled down 73 boards compared to just 31 for the Philippines.

The field goal shooting for the Philippines was abysmal, shooting just 19.7% from the field, making 14 of their 71 attempts.

Australia, meanwhile, shot 46.3% from the field, as they sank 38 of their 82 shots.

The Philippines, which clinched their ticket to the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkiye next year, will be facing China in the bronze medal match.

Australia, meanwhile, will battle it out against New Zealand in the finals.