Batang Gilas faces Bahrain in quarters
After toppling mighty China to close out its impressive elims campaign, Batang Gilas shoots for no less than an outright World Cup berth against either Chinese Taipei or Bahrain in today’s quarterfinal round of the 2018 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.
Led by Sean Dave Ildefonso and the towering frontcourt duo of AJ Edu and Kai Sotto, the Filipinos shocked the fancied Chinese, the 11-time champions of this biennial event, Tuesday with a 73-63 romp that sent them straight to the quarters and a win away from World Cup qualification next year.
In the quarters at Studio 29 tonight, , the Nationals will play the Bahrainis, the Group C third seeds who scored a 76-65 victory over the Taiwanese, the Group D second seeds who earlier in the day lost to the sharpshooting South Koreans, 86-97.
The Phl is actually the second most titled team in the event with six crowns, behind China’s 11.
But the Filipinos’ last championship came 36 years ago when the country served as host.
The Phl then Dave Ildefonso finished in the top four in the next five editions, the last in 1992 in Beijing where it ended up third. The Filipinos, however, never made it back in the Top 4 in the next 12 editions of the meet.
But with a tall, talented and determined crew and after dismantling China, things are looking up for Batang Gilas.
The 6-10 Edu and 7-1 Sotto combined for 25 points, 24 rebounds and nine blocks against China with Ildefonso and Dalph Panopio, a fullblooded Filipino who grew up in Italy, also dishing out big games one after the other.