As expected, Gilas Pilipinas Boys will enter the final of the FIBA Under-16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers with a perfect record.
The young Filipino squad cruised past Malaysia, 96-61, on Thursday at the Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex in San Fernando, Pampanga, to finish the elimination round at 5-0.
Gilas will face Indonesia in the championship match on Friday at 7 p.m. The two teams met earlier in the tournament, with the Philippines prevailing, 77-68, on Wednesday.
In their dominant win over Malaysia, Travis Pascual and Jeremiah Antolin led a balanced attack with 15 points each, spearheading a group of six players who scored in double figures.
(C) SBP
Everaigne Cruz chipped in 14 points, while Prince Carino posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jolo Pascual and Jhello Lumague added 10 points apiece in the blowout.
Malaysia, now out of finals contention, will battle Thailand on the last day of the tournament for the final Southeast Asian spot in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup. Thailand earlier outlasted Singapore, 89-83.
Cameron Tan paced Malaysia with 16 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Meanwhile, Indonesia secured its place in the final with a convincing 74-51 win over Vietnam, thanks to the duo of Kenzie Sutanto, who scored 15 points, and Marshall Farez Al Hadi, who contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
Vietnam and Singapore will square off in the fifth-place classification match.
