Gilas seeks to keep chase going
MANILA, Philippines — Lacking in firepower but overflowing in fight.
That’s Justin Brownlee-less Gilas Pilipinas for you – a resilient bunch that knows no quit, ever ready to battle no matter the odds, no matter the opposition.
And this was on full display as the gritty Nationals grinded out a stirring 82-81 overtime steal over Jordan to roll back on track after losing their last four matches in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
With hardly time to celebrate this massive W at the start of second-round hostilities, Tim Cone’s all-Filipino crew wades into the next big battle in Group E tonight against another tough Middle Eastern side, Iran, in another must-win gig at the SM MOA.
Game time is at 8 p.m. with Gilas looking to hold the fort and improve to a 4-4 card while waiting for Brownlee to recover from health issues and return in the next window.
“It was tough not having Justin. Justin is my comfort blanket; I put him on and I’ve been doing that for 10, 11 years. And not to have him, I felt very exposed but these guys stepped up and not having Justin there and still winning made this even sweeter,” Cone said after hurdling full-strength Jordan.
“So we’ll take this one. But like I keep telling the guys, the job is only half done. We came in here (Window 4) with two do-or-die games. We got one done. Now we got to go out and get another one on a really, really tough Iran, who’s coming off a tough loss to New Zealand. So obviously they’re going to be extremely motivated.”
Gilas sits at fifth spot with 10 points on 3-4 as mighty Australia continues to hold sway with 14 points on 7-0 followed by Iran, Jordan and the Tall Blacks with identical 12 points on 5-2 marks. Syria is one behind the Philippines in the six-team group with nine points on 2-5.
“From our calculations, we have to win five of six (games) in the second round to have a shot at making the World Cup,” Cone.
Taking care of Friday’s business against the Falcons is a step in the right direction.
“It was a real character moment for us,” said Cone after the dramatic victory.
Buried in an 18-point hole early, the Pinoy dribblers kept on fighting.
Kai Sotto dominated the paint and made the game-saving block. AJ Edu energized with his hustle plays. Scottie Thompson and Dwight Ramos took turns containing Jalen Harris and Freddy Ibrahim. CJ Perez punched through Jordan’s interior. Kevin Quiambao hit clutch buckets spiked by the go-ahead trey. Carl Tamayo, before limping out on ankle issues, nailed a second-quarter buzzer-beater from deep that put Gilas within 39-44 and created momentum for their second-half push.
“Lahat nag-contribute,” said Sotto. “Slow start kami pero hinabol namin possession by possession. Sobrang proud ako sa team namin ngayon.”
It was a smashing outing for Sotto (18-14), who’s back after a nearly two-year absence.
“Before the game, medyo marami akong iniisip kasi naghalo na ‘yung parang excitement and ‘yung ang tagal kong hindi nakapaglaro for the national team and alam ko na mabigat ‘yung pressure na dinadala ko. Sobrang happy lang ako na nailabas ko ‘yung laro ko”, he said.