Batang Gilas salvages fifth place in Fiba Asia U16 with victory over Lebanon

photo (c) FIBA.com

BATANG Gilas salvaged some measure of pride, claiming fifth place in the Fiba Asia Under 16 Championship with an 89-74 victory over Lebanon on Saturday at the Arena Britama in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Jonas Tibayan scored 16 points as Batang Gilas wound up with a six wins in eight games played.

The young Filipino cagers wind up several slots off the second place finish of the 2013 Batang Gilas squad, and misses out on the Fiba Under 17 World Championship.

Only the top three in the Asian joust move on to the world meet, but the Filipinos can take solace in the strong finish in the 15-team continental championship.

The Philippines’ chances of booking a return trip to the Under-17 worlds were dashed by Japan in the quarterfinals, leaving Batang Gilas to battle for fifth at best.

They made sure to secure that spot, with nine of 12 players fielded making it to the scoreboard and five registering twin-digit marks.

Kris Harvey Pagsanjan and Samjosef Belangel had 13 points each, Dave Ildefoso chipped in with 12 and Gian Mamuyac added 10.

In the preliminaries, the Philippines eased past Bahrain, 98-58; downed Thailand, 70-51; before coming up with a 2-1 record in the second round.

Batang Gilas turned back Iraq, 78-69, before being dealt its first loss by Korea, 74-77, but came up with a huge 78-72 win over titleholder China.

The young Filipino cagers, however, started flat against a hot-starting Japan and fell on the first hurdle of the knockout stages.

Salim Alaaeddine led all scorers with 28 points and Georges El Beyrouty had 20 for Lebanon. 

The scores:

Batang Gilas 89 - Tibayan 16, Pagsanjan 13, Belangel 13, Ildefonso 12, Mamuyac 10, De Liano 9, Gozum 8, Credo 6, Publico 2, Lagumen 0, Escalona 0.

Lebanon 74 – Alaaeddine 28, El Beyrouty 20, Zeinoun 15, Ziade 4, Nemer 4, Captan 3, Hachem 0, Belmona 0, Saad 0, Tabet 0.

Quarterscores: 17-14; 50-34; 71-52; 89-74.

Source: Spin.ph

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Giant Fil-Aussie kid applies for PH passport, dreams of Gilas stint

MANILA, Philippines – Fil-Australian Ethan Kirkness took the first step in his quest of playing for the country in the future by applying for a Philippines a passport.  

The 6-foot-8 kid who will turn 14 hopes to get his Philippine passport before his birthday on February 23 next year.  FIBA requires a dual citizen to be holding a passport of the country which he wants to represent in their official tournaments before he reaches the age of 16.

“It will take up to eight weeks to process.  Hopefully, it will be released by the first week of January,” Michael Kirkness, Ethan’s father, told Philstar.com on Wednesday.

The Kirkness family has been following the Batang Gilas’ campaign in the FIBA Asia U16.

“Yes, we’ve been following their games. They beat China last night and we congratulate them for showing big heart despite their center only standing 6’4”.  Imagine, if we can get Ethan playing there,” Michael said.

On Tuesday night, the Batang Gilas with only UPIS big man Will Gozum standing tallest at 6’4” dealt China, whose average height is 6’6”, its first ever loss in the history of tournament ending the three-time champion’s winning streak at 33 games with a stirring 78-72 victory.

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It was redemption of sorts for the country as the senior national team lost to China in the gold medal game of the FIBA Asia men’s championship in Changsha, China last month.

The Kirkness family has long been dreaming of Ethan playing for Batang Gilas and hopefully the men’s senior team in the future ever since the country returned to basketball prominence starting off with the silver medal run in the 2013 FIBA Asia tournament and a gallant stand in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

Ethan, whose mother is the 5-foot-10 former Dinah Blando from Dumaguete, went to the country last year with the whole family to attend a relative’s wedding and at the same time check out potential school for him with good basketball programs.

Though nothing concrete came out of the Kirkness’ trip here that was highlighted by campus visits to San Beda, La Salle, Ateneo and NU, Michael is still hoping that a benefactor would sponsor his son’s further development in basketball.  

“He is doing well but we need access to better training.  He’s just playing in school and local competition but is very low level,” Michael said.

Ethan is currently playing for Southport High School and at the same time with the Gold Coast Seahawks U16 team in Queensland, Australia.

Last June, Ethan had a chance to work out with Chicago Bulls’ Australian big man Cameron Bairstow.  

Ethan Kirkness working out with Chicago Bulls' sophomore forward Cameron Bairstow last June. 

Recently, Michael took Ethan to Sydney and watched the Sydney Kings play the Townsville Crocs.

The Kings won that game, 87-78, on Al Harrington’s debut with the team.  Harrington finished with 12 while another former NBA player Marcus Thornton hit 14 for the home team.

The Kings’ 6-foot-10 center Julian Khazzouh, who led the team with 22 points, nine boards and six blocks in the game, was shocked to learn that Ethan is only 13 years old.

“You need to talk to someone from the Kings pronto,” Khazzouh was quoted saying to Michael.

Ethan Kirkness with Sydney Kings' 6-foot-10 star center Julian Khazzouh. 

“I put a sign on Ethan’s back saying he’s only 13.  Everyone [in the arena] thinks he is 18,” Michael recounted.  “The game has plenty of tall men there so until they know his age, they just look past you.”

Michael and his family want Ethan’s heft and height to be developed and put into good use.  And they are hoping it would be the Philippines rather than Australia which he will represent down the road as FIBA Asia and Oceania will be merged in the new World Cup and Olympic qualifying tournament that is set to be introduced next year. 

Source: Alder Almo of Philippine Star

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Batang Gilas soothes pain of shock loss to Japan, vents ire on Thailand in Fiba U16

BATANG Gilas soothed its wounded pride by trouncing Thailand, 81-46, on Friday in the classification phase of the Fiba Under-16 basketball tournament in Indonesia.

The Filipinos, fresh from a shock quarterfinal loss to Japan the day before, went on a 33-9 tear in the second quarter for a 56-25 lead at halftime at the Britama Arena in Jakarta.

The Filipino teens now take on the winner of the Lebanon-Kuwait match for fifth place in this age-group tournament where they dealt China its first ever loss, only to miss out on the semifinals for the first time since 2009.

Juan Gomez de Liano led the charge with 16 points on 4-of-9 three-point shooting with nine rebounds. Rap Escalona rediscovered his outside shooting going 3 of 4 from beyond the arc for 11 points.

Sam Belangel, Dave Ildefonso and Will Gozum each scored 10 points for the Gilas cause.   

No Thai player was able to score in double figures as they struggled to score in the face of the Pinoy’s defense, shooting below 28 percent from the field

Source: Spin.ph

Read more at http://www.spin.ph/basketball/fiba/news/batang-gilas-beats-thailand-81-46-for-fifth-place-finish-in-2015-u-16-tourney#LhE3xDhCs0lVF3P2.99

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Japan ends Batang Gilas’ title hopes with wire-to-wire win in Fiba Asia Under-16 quarterfinals

BATANG GILAS fell into a deep hole early and failed to pull itself out, bowing to a hot-shooting Japan, 73-66,  on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Fiba Asia Under-16 Championship in at the Arena Britama in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Thrust into the limelight with a stunning win over China in the second round, the Batang Gilas couldn’t live up to expectations, starting  flat as the Japanese rained treys on them for a 23-9 advantage after 10 minutes of play.

Batang Gilas bows out of the race for a berth in the 2016 Fiba Under 17 World Championship in Spain. The team falls way short of the 2013 squad’s second place finish that earned it a stint in the 2014 worlds.

The Philippines side of the scoreboard stayed blank until the 5:02 mark, when Samjosef Belangel  split his charities off a Keisuke Mimori foul. By then Japan was 14 points clear.

The Filipinos somehow found their range in the second, but the Japanese still made their shots and outscored Batang Gilas 23-21 for a 46-30 halftime count.

The Philippines was relegated to the classification round, where it would try and salvage fifth place starting with a match against Thailand, which was beaten in the quarterfinals by Chinese Taipei, 88-39.

Japan and Chinese Taipei face off in the semifinals. Korea also earlier advanced with a 105-79 victory over Lebanon and await the winner of the quarterfinal match between China and Kuwait.

The Japanese led by as many as 23 points before the Philippines trimmed it to seven in the fourth, but the rally came a little too late. 

Belangel wound up with 20 points and Jason Credo had 11 but no other Filipino registered twin-digit marks. Gian Mamuyac, Batang Gilas’ top scorer entering the game with 15.2, came up with just two points, making just one of 12 shots.

Source: Spin.ph

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Batang Gilas outsteadies erstwhile unbeaten China in Fiba Asia Under-16 Championship

BATANG Gilas wound up on top in a see-saw battle, toppling erstwhile unbeaten China, 78-72,  on Tuesday in the Fiba Asia Under-16 Championship at the Arena Britana in Jakarta, Indonesia

The young Filipinos accomplished what their elder counterparts couldn’t pull off, turning back the much taller Chinese squad in the continental competition and China's first loss ever in the Under-16 tourney in 31 games dating back to 2009.

Batang Gilas moves to 4-1, the same record as China after the win that comes exactly one month after Gilas Pilipinas lost to host China, 67-78, in the Fiba Asia final in Changsha.

Kris Harvey Pagsanjan and Jason Mari Lorenzo hit back-to-back triples to put the Philippinnes ahead 73-72 and Jonas Tibayan extended the lead with a jumper to help Batang Gilas hold on for the win.

It was a huge win for the Philippines, which suffered a loss to Korea on Monday, their first defeat in the tournament.

Gian Mamuyac again led the Philippines in scoring, the flashy 5-foot-11 guard coming up with 22 points against a Chinese squad with average height of 6-6.

Skipper Samjosef Belangel scored 11, while Pagsanjan and Credo finished with 10 points apiece.

The Philippines led 39-33 at the half but China just wouldn't go away. Five straight points by Haotian Bai, including a triple with 1:55 left put China ahead 72-67, but that proved to be their last basket.   

The scores:

Batang Gilas 78 – Mamuyac 22, Belangel 11, Pagsanjan 10, Credo 10, De Liano 9, Tibayan 7, Gozum 4, Publico 3, Ildefonso 2, Flores 0, Escalona 0.

China 72 – Bai 21, Zhu 16, R. Wang 13, Zhao 9, Wu 9, Y. Wang 2, Xu 2, Huang 0, J. Wang 0, Han 0, Li 0.

Source: Spin.ph

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Batang Gilas wallops Thailand, moves to 2-0 in FIBA Asia U16

The Philippines now leads Group C

MANILA, Philippines – A day after making quick work of Bahrain, the Philippines’ national under-16 basketball team faced a tougher challenge but still managed to come away with a one-sided victory over Thailand, 70-51, on Friday, October 30, at the Britama Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The win improved the team, called Batang Gilas, to 2-0 in the 2015 FIBA Asia Under-16 championship.

Kris Harvey Pagsanjan and Samjosef Belangel led the winning team win 10 points each, while Jonas Raphael Tibayan finished with 9 points. Batang Gilas shot just 38.4% from the field and missed all 16 of their attempts from downtown, but out-rebounded their opponents 63-42 and forced them to 31.3% shooting, including a 2-of-26 display from downtown.

The Philippines now leads Group C of the tourney, where Bahrain and Thailand and tied for 2nd and 3rd with 0-1 records. All 3 teams will immediately advance to the next round thanks to the withdrawal from the competition of North Korea.

In the next round, the trio will be placed in Group F along with the top 3 teams from Group D (China, Korea, Iraq, and India). The Philippines’ next game will come in the second round.

The top 3 finishers of the 2015 FIBA Asia under-16 tourney will earn spots in the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Spain. – Rappler.com

(c) Naveen Ganglani

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Dave Ildefonso stars as Batang Gilas rips Bahrain in Fiba-Asia Under-16 debut

THE Philippines beat Bahrain, 98-58, on Thursday at the start of the 2015 Fiba-Asia Under-16 Championship in Jakarta.

Dave Ildefonso topscored for the Batang Gilas cagers with 16 points while Juan Gerardo Gomez De Llano had 15 in the lopsided victory to start their campaign in Group C play.

Batang Gilas, coached by Mike Oliver, opened a 22-13 lead after one quarter before outscoring Bahran, 33-13, in the second period behind eight points from Ildefonso, son of two-time PBA MVP Danny.

Will Gozum had 14 points and nine rebounds for Batang Gilas, who will next face Southeast Asian neighbor Thailand on Friday to end the preliminary phase. Another member of the group, North Korea, backed out of the tournament.

The Philippines, mentored by Jamike Jarin, lost to China in the gold medal match in 2013 in this tournament that serves as a qualifier for the 2016 Fiba-Asia Under-17 Championship.

Batang Gilas made the tournament the last time.

The scores:

Philippines (98) — Ildefonso 16, Gomez De Llano 15, Gozum 14, Tibayan 12, Mamuyac 12, Pagsanjan 9, Credo 7, Publico 6, Belangel 5, Escalona 2, Flores 0.

Bahrain (58) — Abdulhusain 21, B. Ali 8, Aboukuora 7, Salman 7, Alsaffar 7, H. Mohamed 4, Khan 2, Almajed 2, M. Mohamed 0, H. Ali 0, F. Ali 0, M. Abdulkarim 0.

Quarterscores: 22-13, 55-26, 79-40, 98-58.

Source: Reuben Terrado of Spin.ph

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FIBA Asia U16 Championships for Men

  TEAM PHILIPPINES  

Under 16 FIBA World Rank: 27
2013 FIBA Asia U16 Championship: Silver Medal

RESULTS:

Preliminary Group C | vs. Bahrain - 98-58

Preliminary Group C | vs. Thailand - 70-51

Preliminary Group C | vs. North Korea *cancelled as North Korea withdrew from the tournament

END of PRELIMINARY : Rank #1 with 3-0 Standing

Second Round Group F | vs. Iraq - 78-69

Second Round Group F | vs. Korea - 74-77

Second Round Group F | vs. China - 78-72

END of SECOUND ROUND : Rank #2 with 4-1 Standing

QUARTERFINALS : Lost to Japan 66-73

5th-8th Classification : Won over Thailand 81-46

Battle for 5th Place : Won over Lebanon 89-74

Final Team Ranking

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