Led by Kai Sotto's 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks, the young Gilas team defeated New Zealand 73-52, in a game that was never in doubt. In fact, the young Pinoys won every quarter (16-12, 19-12, 19-12, 19-15)
Don't make any mistake, this was an upset, given our history with Oceania basketball.
Just a few short months ago, we faced this same team at the FIBA Asia Under 16 Tournament and lost to them by 16 points, 76-60. They were led by promising youngsters Marvin Williams-Dunn (17points on 50% shooting), Mitchell Dance (16pts on 38% shooting, 7 rebounds), and Jake McKinlay (10pts on 33% shooting).
Batang Gilas were led at the time by Terence Fortea's 18 points (32% shooting), Kai Sotto's 13 points (33% shooting) and 7 rebounds, and Yukien Andrada's 9 points (33% shooting)
This time, Batang Gilas was able to turn the tables around with tough defense and efficient offense. They made things tough for Williams-Dunn, who had 6 points on 1-7 shooting (14% shooting), Dance (12 points on 35% shooting), and McKinlay, who had 3 points on 1-9 shooting (11% shooting).
In contrast, Sotto got his 22 points on 55% shooting, Fortea scored 12 points on 36% shooting, and three other Gilas boys scored 8 points each, with Geo Chiu recording an surprisingly strong game.
This win came just at the right time, as Batang Gilas needed another win to solidify their status as a fast rising team in youth basketball. They have also improved our best record at the Under-17 tourney, as our 13th place beats the 2014 team's 15th place finish.
More significantly, we have finished better than China and New Zealand, with only Australia still lording over the Asian region.
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