The Philippines U18 national team scored a 87-52 win over Singapore on Tuesday to punch a ticket to the final of the SEABA U18 Championship in Medan, Indonesia.
Already leading by 10 after the first quarter, Batang Gilas used an 18-6 second quarter run to break away and tally its fourth straight win in as many games.
The nationals are now assured of playing in the gold medal match. They have also secured a spot to the 2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship later this year, which serves as a qualifier for the FIBA U19 World Championship.
Joshua Sinclair had back to back baskets in a 9-0 run by the Philippines to open the second quarter, turning a 25-15 lead into a more distant 34-15 cushion. The nationals then unleashed 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, making it an 82-44 advantage.
John Bryle Bahio topscored for the nationals with 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting and added six rebounds. Three others scored in double-digits.
The Philippines veered away from three-point shooting this time, taking only 11 attempts from the outside. The team pounded the ball inside the paint, scoring 64 points against only 30 for Singapore. The team also had a 20-7 lead in assists.
Batang Gilas will wound up its elimination round campaign against host team Indonesia.
Scores
Philippines (87) – Bahio 16, Alfaro 12, Sinclair 11, Flores 10, Tibayan 9, Nelle 9, Mendoza 8, Mamuyac 4, Gozum 4, Madrigal 4,
Singapore (52) – Sim 9, Raj 9, Yeo 9, Manaf 8, Z. Sim 4, Tng 4, Borhan 3, Thng 3, Lim 3.
Quarterscores: 25-15, 43-21, 66-40, 87-52.
