Laban, Pilipinas! These Gilas youngsters are truly fun to watch

Photo credit: FIBA Asia Cup/website

Nabbing a win can be tricky if a team is focused more on rebuilding their roster by going all in for the so-called youth movement. Fortunately, the investment was well worth it thanks to the efforts of head coach Tab Baldwin and his Gilas youngsters. 

The Philippine Men’s National Basketball team won its fifth game in a row in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, crushing Indonesia with an easy 76-51 win inside the Angeles University Foundation.

Fresh from that miraculous buzzer-beating win over powerhouse South Korea, our boys have done it again and destroyed Indonesia as expected. 

Sure, Gilas didn’t exactly come out guns blazing in the first half, where their sluggish play allowed the Indonesian players to stick around.

But after the halftime break, it's like they flipped a switch and asserted their dominance over the opposition. 

Like their game against the South Korean team, Gilas once again relied on a total team effort and spread the wealth. 

READ: Go Ateneo! It’s #OneBigFight for Gilas Pilipinas

Dwight Ramos once again showed his leadership with a strong double-double of 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals, while Justine Baltazar was exceptional as well with 11 markers and 9 boards. 

Gilas’ twin towers of Angelo Kouame and Kai Sotto also feasted underneath, as the former added 11 points of his own with five boards while the latter had a lucky seven points and seven rebounds outing. 

READ: Angelo Kouame is officially a naturalized Pinoy

RJ Abarrientos also showcased that he shares more than just the last name of his legendary uncle Johnny A. The FEU playmaker added 9 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals off the bench. 

All eyes, however, were on Francis “LeBron” Lopez, who made his Gilas senior’s team debut. The high-flying teenager lived up to the hype, scoring 8 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in limited minutes. 

Carl Tamayo, on the other hand, once again impressed with his mature playstyle, but he did leave the game with an ankle injury. Prayers up for Carl!

Photo credit: FIBA Asia Cup website

Still, it’s pretty apparent online how delighted Pinoy fans are with Gilas right now. Heck, even former Gilas head coach Chot Reyes was out there cracking jokes. 

Photo credit: Chot Reyes/Twitter

Coach Chot was talking about when LeBron Lopez and Jordan Heading shared the court. Sayang, wala si Kobe Paras ngayon, eh di kumpleto na sana. LOL! 

Anyway, we better start wearing shades because the future is extremely bright for Gilas Pilipinas. 

Do you think we can stay undefeated in the final window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers?