FIBA Asia U-18 Championship: Batang Gilas finishes fifth after miraculous win over Japan

Batang Gilas Pilipinas finishes its FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship campaign in fifth place after a miraculous comeback win against Japan, 113-105, in Doha, Qatar.

Down by three points in the fourth quarter with eight seconds left, Batang Gilas fouled Japan’s leading scorer Akito Uchida. However, he missed both his free throws to give the Philippines some hope.

Kobe Paras grabbed the rebound and the ball ended up on Radge Tongco’s capable hands. The Philippines leading scorer for the competitions nailed a game-tying triple to force overtime.

In the extra period, the reinvigorated Filipinos were all over the Japanese. Paras and Jollo Go had their moments but their run was capped by a basket from an unlikely source.

Dave Wilson Yu, who went scoreless in regulation, nailed a triple to give Batang Gilas a 109-98 advantage with only 1:29 left in the game.

Paras starred for the Philippines with 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and a steal. Go scored 24 points, going 5 of 9 from deep. Mark Anthony Dyke and Paul Desiderio added 18 and 17 respectively and Tongco chipped in 14 including the game’s biggest shot.

Japan on the other hand was led by Uchida who had 36 while Shota Tsumaya added 34. Playmaker Taiga Watanabe only scored three point for their side although he added nine rebounds and eight assists.

Batang Gilas built an early 13-9 lead against Japan at the 6:43 mark after a basket from Paul Desiderio. The Japanese responded with a 14-4 run to lead 23-17 at the 3:32 mark.

Japan took a 25-24 lead after the first quarter with Akito Uchida scoring 12 points. Radge Tongco was not far behind with nine.

The Japanese built a double digit lead in the second half. Uchida scored his 17 point of the game to give Japan a 44-34 lead with 3:58 left in the first half. They ended the second quarter holding a slim 49-46 lead.

Down by eight points heading into the final quarter, Batang Gilas rallied to trim Japan’s lead. Kobe Paras completed an and-one play with 2:49 left in the game to cut their deficit down to two points at 88-86.

Japan scored on the other end but Paras responded with two free throws to get the Philippines within two point of again, 90-88.

After a free throw from Japan, Paul Desiderio had the chance to tie the ball game but he missed his shot from the three-point range.

The Philippines immediately fouled but Taichi Aoki made both his free throws. Paras then scored on the other end for a 93-90 count in Japan’s favor. Batang Gilas fouled again and this time lady luck gave them an assist as Akito Uchida missed both his free throws.

Paras quickly grabbed the rebound and Tongco scored on a triple to force overtime.

The scores:

Philippines 113: Paras 27, Go 24, Dyke 18, Desiderio 17, Tongco 14, Santillan 6, Yu 3, Escoto 2, Black 1, Mosqueda 1, Caracut 0, Bienes 0.

Japan 105: Uchida 36, Tsumaya 34, Sumino 8, Mikami 8, Watanabe 3, Tomita 2, Aoki 12, Ide 2, Yamanashi 0, Tsuruta 0, Fukuoka 0, Motomura 0.

Quarters: 24-25, 46-49, 65-73, 93-93, 113-105.