Gilas Pilipinas Boys will compete for third place in the 2026 B.League Under-16 Challenge Cup after finishing with a 2-1 record in the pool stage at Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo.
The Filipinos placed second in Group A after opening their campaign with a 91-81 victory over Chiba on Tuesday. They then suffered a 73-66 loss to Ryukyu before closing out pool play with a dominant 105-79 rout of Tachikawa on Wednesday.
Gilas will face Fukuoka in the battle for third on Thursday.
La Salle Green Hills standout Sam Esomchi has been the team’s top performer, averaging 19.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks through three games.
Esomchi starred in the win over Chiba with 23 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks, while Dwayne Madrigal and Lawrence Copia chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Against Ryukyu, however, Gilas trailed for all but the opening 10 seconds and fell behind by as many as 13 points before halftime.
Esomchi and Brielle Salazar sparked a second-half rally, but the Filipinos were unable to overcome the hot shooting of Eiji Oshiro, who scored 36 points, and Yuito Kawamitsu, who added 26.
Gilas responded with a balanced offensive performance against the Dice, with six players finishing in double figures.
Copia led the way with 19 points, followed by Zap Ong with 17, Jayson Mercado with 15, Josh Saga with 14, while Esomchi and Salazar contributed 12 points each.
FEU-Diliman captured the tournament championship in last year’s edition.
