Gilas Pilipinas Boys in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup. Photo from FIBA

Gilas Pilipinas Youth opened its campaign in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 on a high note as they dominated Indonesia.

Despite the absence of the injured Andy Gemao, the young Filipino cagers scored a 75-48 win over the Indonesians, with Wilhalm Lawrence Cabonilas leading the way for them by putting up 19 points — 13 in the first half.

After a tight first quarter that saw Gilas only leading by one point, 15-14, they upped their game in the second period and never looked back. On defense, they shackled Indonesia, allowing them to score only two points in the entire period.

Bayu Prayoga Putra scored the only basket by Indonesia in the second frame to inch them closer, 22-16, with 6:19 on the clock of the same frame, but Cabonilas spearheaded a massive 16-0 counterattack that broke the game wide open and gave Gilas a 38-16 halftime lead.

He extended it to 19-0 as he opened the second half with a triple, while Carl Vincent Ong’s layup to start the final period gave Gilas their biggest lead of the game at 36, 65-29, allowing them to coast to an easy victory.

Drei Lorenzo added 12 points for Gilas, while John Earl Medina chipped in 11 markers. The two waxed hot from the three-point range, combining for an efficient 7 of 11 from downtown.

Marc Daniel Burgos and Johnkurl Figueroa were defensive anchors for the Philippines as they combined for seven blocks against Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Halmaheranno Hady was the lone bright spot for Indonesia as he posted 12 points. 

Up next for the Philippines will be the home squad Jordan on September 4 at 12:30 a.m. Then they take on New Zealand at 9:30 pm on the same day (Manila time). 

The four best squads at the end of the tourney will advance to the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland.

The Scores:

Philippines 75 – Cabonilas 19, Lorenzo 12, Medina 11, Esperanza 8, Burgos 6, Ludovice 5, Esteban 5, Manding 4, Figueroa 3, Santos 2, Velasquez 0, Perez 0.

Indonesia 48 – Hady 12, Alex 6, Putra 6, Putera 5, Yudha 5, Sundinata 4, Linardi 4, Boentara 3, Kristanto 2, Auliarizal 1, Krisnanjaya 0, Aritonang 0.

Quarters: 15-14, 38-16, 63-29, 75-48.