Despite having a good game plan against Rocco Zikarsky, it was the other Crocodiles who dropped the hammer on Gilas Youth.
The Philippines’ Under-16 Men’s National Basketball Team could not sustain its strong first-half performance, being overwhelmed in the last 20 minutes of the game in a 109-83 loss in the 2022 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championships, Friday at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall in Doha, Qatar.
The loss ended the Philippines’ hopes of making it to the Under-17 World Cup set next month in Malaga, Spain.
The young Pinoys zoned in on Zikarski, limiting him to just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field with eight rebounds — down from his averages of 14.7 points and 13.0 rebounds.
With the 7-foot-1 Aussie locked, Gilas Youth exploded in the second frame, gaining a 45-28 lead behind Jared Bahay’s 11 points.
But the defending champions found a way to turn things around.
The hot-shooting of Kye Savage turned things around, which led to a huge 40-23 spurt that bridged the second and third quarters.
It was all Crocodiles from there as Joshua Dent, Tristan Devers, and Carlin Briggs put the finishing touches.
Savage led all scorers with 27 points built on six treys.
Dent scattered 17 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists while Devers added 14 points.
Renzo Competente paced Gilas Youth with 18 points built on four triples.
Caelum Harris put up 14 points, four rebounds, and four blocks in the loss while Alex Konov chipped in 13 points.
The country’s leading scorer Zain Mahmood was limited to just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds.
The Philippines will not figure in the classification phase, hoping to end in fifth place in the 13-nation meet. They will face the winner of Korea and Lebanon on Saturday.
The Scores:
Philippines 83 – Competente 18, Harris 14, Konov 13, Bahay 13, Bayla 9, Mahmood 7, Porter 6, Nieto 3, Jones 0, Gemao 0, Reyes 0.
Australia 109 – Savage 27, Dent 17, Devers 14, Briggs 10, Rapp 9, O’Donnell 8, Zikarsky 7, Hughes 6, Siulepa 4, Furphy 4, Brewer 3, Ferronato 0.
Quarterscores: 29-24, 51-47, 68-76, 83-109.
