Gilas boys nail U18 Asia Cup slot

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas boys demolished Indonesia, 87-64, to cap a perfect campaign in the SEABA Qualifiers and punch its way to the 2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup yesterday at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

Andy Gemao flirted with a triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in only 27 minutes of play as the Nationals wiped out their three Southeast Asian counterparts.

Gilas, which previously battered host Malaysia, 97-71, and Thailand, 87-54, thus booked its spot in the U18 Asian tourney in September in Jordan.

It was complete domination for Gilas, which ignited a 22-9 start before making Indonesia bleed for just nine points in the second period to pull away heading home, with a 27.3-point winning margin average in three games.

Wilhelm Lawrence Cabonilas added 16 points and nine rebounds for Gilas.