FROM Final Four to an early boot.
A stark contrast to its last campaign, Gilas Pilipinas Youth absorbed a quick exit in the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup with a 79-66 defeat to Bahrain in the qualification to the quarterfinals on Thursday at the Buyant Ukhaa Sport Complex in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The Philippine ballers were in the thick of the fight midway through the third quarter, 44-all, before yielding to a killer 18-3 run by the Bahrainis for a sudden 47-62 deficit entering the fourth.
And Gilas, ranked No. 35, could not get out of the hole from there on for a stunning defeat to Bahrain, way lower in the world rankings at No. 94.
Luisito Joel Pascual was the lone twin-digit scorer with 10 points for the charges of head coach LA Tenorio, who swept the SEABA Qualifiers at home last summer only to get hammered against the big boys in the Asian tourney.
Jhustin Hallare had nine while Everaigne Cruz and Brian Orca, Jr. chipped in eight points each for Gilas, which was dragged into the qualification after a third-place finish in Group B with a 1-2 slate.
Vanished in Gilas’ stunning elimination was a second straight and fourth overall trip to the FIBA U17 World Cup set next year in Turkey.
The Filipino teens bled for a dismal 1-3 slate in the entire tourney with their lone win coming against No. 89 Indonesia. They stumbled against No. 51 Chinese Taipei, 106-82, and No. 15 New Zealand, 85-54.
Gilas in 2023 also went the same qualification route but took care of business against the relatively better opponents in South Korea, 95-71, and Japan, 64-59, to make it into the semifinals.
The Nationals then folded to eventual champion Australia, 92-36, but were still good enough for fourth place after an 87-59 bronze-medal match defeat to China to clinch a ticket in 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup also hosted by Turkey.
Mohamed Adel Abdulla fired 23 points while Ali Husain Mohamed, Hussain Fuad Moosa Sharaf Ghuloom and Hassan Oshobuge Abdulkadir scored 15 points each for Bahrain, which will play unbeaten China in the quarterfinals. — John Bryan Ulanday
