Gilas U18 powers through Thailand to close in on FIBA Asia Cup berth

GILAS Pilipinas Youth overpowered Thailand, 87-53, on Saturday to capture its second win in the SEABA Qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur and move closer to a place in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup. Andy Gemao and Wilhalm Cabonilas once again led the Philippines, with the former getting 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals and the latter nabbing 17 points and nine rebounds in the game where they led by as many as 30 points. Now, one of two tickets to the continental meet to be held September 2-7 in Amman, Jordan is already in sight, an Indonesia win later in the day against Malaysia will formalize Gilas Youth's entry to the Asia Cup. After being up by only three at the end of the first quarter, the Filipinos went on an 18-2 run to start the second period to take command of the contest, eventually outscoring Thailand, 24-10, for a 46-29 halftime advantage. Gilas Youth, though, had a scary moment when Gemao rolled his ankle early in the third. Thankfully, the uber-athletic guard didn’t sustain a serious injury as he was still able to return in the quarter. There was no let-up for the Philippines in the second half, as it only gave up eight points in the final period. Carl Manding added 10 points, while Marc Burgos tallied eight points, five rebounds, and two blocks for the Filipinos. Gilas Youth guns for the SEABA crown when they face Indonesia on Sunday at the MABA Stadium.
Courtesy of: spin.ph