Batang Gilas falls to mighty Greece in FIBA U-17

MANILA, Philippines – Once again, the height disparity was too much to overcome. That, coupled with Greece’s solid outside shooting, and the Philippines was in for a rough night.

The Batang Gilas national youth team was clobbered by Greece, 85-65, on Saturday, August 9 in Group A action of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai.

The Greeks knocked down 13 triples in the contest on their way to burying a hapless Philippine youth squad, who were shooting bricks from the outside for the first 3 quarters save for the final frame when they played catch-up.

The 6-foot-5 guard Antonis Pefanis had the hot hand in this game as he sizzled with 6 triples and a total of 10-of-17 shooting for a game-high 26 points. Antonis Koniaris made good on 4 shots from rainbow country for 14 points to go with his 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

After a splendid 9-2 start by Batang Gilas, Greece found its touch from the perimeter and went on a 7-0 run to even things up and eventually snatch the lead to end the first up by 25-17.

Greece never looked back from that point on as they outscored Batang Gilas 38-16 for the entire second and third cantos on their way to building their biggest lead of 32 points, 60-28, late in the third. 

But the Philippine team, young as they are, were never made of cotton candy.

They entered the payoff period with a renewed energy and quickly broke the cold shooting spell with 3 straight three-pointers courtesy of Jose Go (7 points) and back-to-back long bombs from Michael Dela Cruz (9 points).

Batang Gilas set the tone early in that last quarter by exerting all efforts possible on defense, making stops, running, forcing turnovers, and on shooting to try and narrow the gap. 

They dropped 32 points in that explosive fourth period but with every Gilas spurt, Greece responded with their on-target outside shooting. 

While Greece eased up on maximizing their size advantage, they still went to the post and bullied Batang Gilas’ slot men, owing to a 20-4 advantage on second-chance points. The rebounding department was also obviously on the side of the Greeks, 57-44.

Greece’s average height in their roster is 6-foot-6, while the Philippines’ is at 6 feet even, according to FIBA.com

Unlike their opening match against Angola, the Philippines failed to execute their speedy tactics in this match. Each time they attempted to charge at full throttle, the Greeks would foul them and stop any potential fastbreak opportunities.

Batang Gilas, who remains winless in two outings and is set to face two-time defending champions USA on Monday, was also severely outnumbered in assists, 21-8. 

Jolo Mendoza led the Philippine youth team with his 19 points and 5 boards. Michael Nieto was a worthy challenger for Greece’s big men with his 11 points and 13 boards. – Rappler.com