Batang Gilas Pilipinas punched its way to the 2017 FIBA Under-17 World Cup after eking out a 72-70 win over Japan, Friday afternoon at the Foshan Lingnan Mingzhu Gymnasium in China.
With the win, the young Filipinos secured a slot in the semifinals, topping the performance of the 2015 squad that finished fifth in Indonesia.
The top-ranked high school student-athlete in the country, Kai Sotto of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets, had a monster outing with 28 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks to anchor Batang Gilas.
But his performance would have gone for naught if not for the heroics of RC Calimag.
Japan rallied back from 13 points down, knotting the game at 70-all after Chikara Tanaka knocked down his fourth straight triple.
Off a timeout, a calm Calimag was able to convert on a lay-up with 2.3 seconds remaining to give the Philippines the lead. Tanaka Chikara’s desperation attempt missed afterwards, sealing the win.
Calimag, a standout from the DLSZ Junior Archers, finished with 15 markers.
Batang Gilas, a much taller team than the junior team of the Akatsuki Five, was dominant on the boards, gaining a 53-45 advantage.
Tanaka led the way for Japan with 17 markers.
The Philippines will next face the winner of China versus Lebanon in the semifinals on Saturday, April 7, at 6:00pm.
The Scores:
Philippines 72 – Sotto 28, Calimag 15, Cortez 8, Fortea 6, Guadana 4, Padrigao 4, Andrada 4, Bautista 3, Lazaro 0, Go 0
Japan 70 – Tanaka 17, Yuki 14, Mitani 12, Tominaga 12, Yamazaki 6, Nakamura 5, Yokochi 2, Kawamura 2, Iwasaki 0, Ehara 0
Quarterscores: 15-17, 32-34, 57-46, 72-70
