Klutch Kai Rescues Batang Gilas, Tows Them To 67-52 Win!

At halftime, it seemed like Batang Gilas' worst nightmares were about to become a reality, as they trailed Bahrain 26-34.

The Bahrainis were persistent, speedy, confident, and utterly fearless so, despite trailing 24-11 at the end of the 1st quarter, they had managed to wrest the lead away from Batang Gilas. Only AJ Edu could get anything going against Bahrain and it looked like it wouldn't be enough.

So, at the beginning of the second half, Batang Gilas found themselves a little bit lost and searching for answers. Kai Sotto decided to BE the answer. He demanded for the ball, despite Edu being in the game with him. He crashed the boards for putbacks. He waited patiently for drop passes and entry passes into the post, instead of being frustrated by the physicality his smaller opponents got away with.

What Gilas U18 Upsetting China 73-63 Means

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Coming into last night's Batang Gilas game versus China, realists (such as myself) were hoping for a win but knew that history wasn't on our side. After all, China has beaten the Philippines on the last three U18 games they've played by an average margin of 33 points.

Still, that's why you play the game and we still all hoped for a victory or, at the very least, a good showing.

And then Batang Gilas showed us exactly how great they already are. They went ahead to upset tournament favorites China,73-63, and they did it with style, substance, and poise.

After all, the final score doesn't do justice to the thumping the Batang Gilas boys gave the Chinese. At one point, Batang Gilas actually led by 18. As China made their final run, the boys kept their calm and won by making crucial defensive stops and then hitting their free throw.

Here are three things this game eatblished about this Batang Gilas team: