Gilas boys get past Indonesia for sweet sweep of SEABA Qualifiers 

MANILA, Philippines – Another Philippine youth team stamped its class overseas.

Gilas Pilipinas boys romped past Indonesia, 77-65, to complete a sweep of the SEABA Qualifiers and punch a ticket to the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship late Wednesday night at the GOR Kertajaya Surabaya Arena in Indonesia.

The Filipinos banked on a scorching second-quarter rally to buck a slow start and fend off the spirited hosts for a 3-0 wipeout of the Southeast Asian region.

Gilas, which previously drubbed Malaysia and Thailand in blowout fashions, will represent the region for the Asian joust in September to be held in Qatar.

For the third straight game, second-generation player Kieffer Alas proved to be in a league of his own by scattering 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks to spearhead Gilas attack.

It was Alas, brother of PBA star Kevin of NLEX and son of seasoned mentor Louie, who also led the team to convincing 94-52 and 85-49 wins against Malaysia and Thailand, respectively.

Alas, however, needed every help he could get against the gritty Indonesians at home with CJ Amos (14) and Kurt Nathan Velasquez (14) ably providing it. Bonn Ervin Daja collared a near double-double of nine points and 14 rebounds plus a block to hold the fort for Gilas defensively.

Despite bagging easy wins, Gilas found Indonesia a tough nut to crack as it even trailed by 16-23 early in the second before Alas bannered a 22-9 run to take a 38-32 lead at the half.

Indonesia still tried to trade blows after the intermission and came within striking distance at 41-45 only for Daja and Amos to join Alas in putting the game away at 58-43 en route to the homestretch.

Under the watch of coach Josh Reyes, Gilas will come to Qatar with hopes of improving on a seventh-place finish last year.

Meanwhile, Malaysia clinched the other ticket to FIBA Asia with a thrilling 85-79 win over Thailand. Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia had similar 1-2 cards but the former scored the highest quotient.

Gilas boys’ triumph in Indonesia was a quick follow-up to the Gilas girls’ sweep of FIBA U16 Asian Championship Division B in Jordan to gain a Division A promotion, further boosting the Philippine youth program.