FIBA Asia U-18 Championship: Batang Gilas beats Kazakhstan in classification round
Batang Gilas Pilipinas qualified for the battle for fifth in the FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship after defeating Kazakhstan, 86-74, in the classification round.
After bowing out in the quarterfinals after a painful loss against Chinese Taipei, the Philippines bounced back with a win. Batang Gilas used a hot start and cruised their way to victory. Kazakhstan was able to bring the Philippines' lead down to six but they never got the chance to take the lead after the Filipinos’ opening salvo.
Paul Desiderio led the Philippines with 19 points and eight rebounds while Radge Tongco added 13 points and three assists. Kobe Paras, Jollo Go, and Mark Anthony Dyke added 10 points each for a balanced attack for the Philippines.
Alexandr Danilchenko led Kazakhstan with 18 points and nine rebounds while Valentin Kirilin added 17 points and four rebounds.
With the win, the Philippines qualified to battle Japan for the fifth spot in the rankings while Kazakhstan will compete against Malaysia for the seventh spot.
Batang Gilas ran to the races with a 28-20 first quarter. They pounded Kazakhstan even more 26-18 in the second quarter to take a huge 54-38 advantage at the half.
The Kazaks made a huge run in the third quarter as they trimmed their 16-point deficit down to six at 67-61.
Batang Gilas however finished strong as they by Paul Desiderio as they put Kazakhstan away in the fourth quarter.
The Philippines dominated the scoring in the paint 44-32. Gilas also got more rebounds, 44-41, against the taller squad.
The scores:
Philippines 86: Desiderio 19, Tongco 13, Go 10, Dyke 10, Paras 10, Yu 5, Santillan 4, Bienes 3, Black 2, Escoto 2.
Kazakhstan 74: Kirilin 17, Danilchenko 16, Kadyr 13, Aitkali 10, Agabek 7, Tinyayev 6, Caracut 5, Mosqueda 4, Litvienko 3.
Quarters: 28-20, 54-38, 67-61, 86-74.
