Alas-led Batang Gilas stuns Japan U16 for World Cup ticket

Kiefer Louie Alas dropped a tournament-high 29 points as he towed the young Gilas Pilipinas to a close 64-59 win over Japan for a 2024 FIBA Under-17 World Cup berth in Turkey.

Alas caught fire in the second half as he registered 22 of his 29 markers to spearhead the Philippines' come-from-behind victory against the Japanese side in their quarterfinal match in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship at Al Gharafa Sports Club in Doha, Qatar early Saturday, September 23 (Manila time).

The younger brother of NLEX Road Warriors star Kevin Alas had a quiet first half with just seven points before unloading 14 in the third frame, as the Josh Reyes wards erased a 44-34 advantage and got their lead back, 46-45, thanks to a Joaquin Gabriel Ludovice triple before the buzzer sounded.

He also turned playmaker in the crucial stretch of the final canto, as Alas found his big man Bonn Ervin Daja twice inside the shaded lane to put the nails in Japan's coffin. The 6-foot-2 wingman listed three assists in this game, while also grabbing nine rebounds.

Holding a 60-55 lead with less than three minutes to go, Gilas found itself in a dangerous predicament after the Akatsuki Five came within one in the last two minutes.

Daja scored a floater to give the Philippines a 62-59 cushion, courtesy of an Alas pass. After a few defensive stops, they reconnected again with Alas as the decision-maker and Daja the scorer for Batang Gilas to secure a Turkiye trip in the last 54 ticks.

Daja finished with six points on a 3/5 shooting clip, alongside two rebounds and steals apiece.

Meanwhile, Ludovice, Gilas' top scorer against South Korea with 25 points spiked by seven triples, contributed 11 from 3-for-6 three-pointers, alongside three rebounds and two steals.

Another double-digit scorer for the Philippines – felt like home in the Qatari capital with a supportive Filipino crowd – was Kurt Nathan Velasquez, who tallied 10 points, five steals, and three rebounds.

As time expired, joyous celebrations filled the arena as the basketball-crazy country of the Philippines returned to the global stage after missing the 2022 cut, with a quarterfinal exit in the hands of eventual champion Australia.

Gilas last qualified for the world youth championship in 2018 by finishing fourth in the 2017 FIBA U16 Asian Championship, bannered by that year's All-Tournament Team awardee Kai Sotto, Forthsky Padrigao, and Carl Tamayo.

Joining the Philippines from the Asia Pacific region are defending back-to-back champion Australia, New Zealand, and China to complete the 16-nation cast of the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup, including host Turkey; reigning six-time titlist the United States of America; European qualifiers Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania; and African entrants Guinea and Egypt.

Gilas and Australia will cross paths anew, now in the semifinals. The Crocs obliterated Jordan in another quarterfinal match, 117-50, to extend their unbeaten run since the FIBA Asia and FIBA Oceania merged to 15 games.

The three-peat-seeking Australians blasted the nationals, 109-83, last year to eliminate the latter from securing a World Cup slot in the QF round.

Building on their momentum, Batang Gilas will go for an upset against the heavily favored Crocs on Sunday, September 24 (Manila time), at 12:30 a.m.

Shogo Takata led Japan with 12 points as Ginga Sembo and Kenichiro Benedict chipped in 10 markers apiece in a losing effort for last year's U16 silver medalist that defeated the Philippines in the group stage.

Despite crashing the boards by a whooping margin, 58-36, Japan struggled to convert against the Philippine defense that limited them to 33/10/50 splits.

Before the Gilas game, the young Akatsuki averaged 85.7 points per game but was held by the Filipinos to under 60.

The Alejandro Martinez-mentored Japanese, obtained an outright quarterfinal seat behind a perfect 3-0 record in Group B, took a 35-25 lead at the half after a blistering 7-0 start of Gilas in the first period.

Unfortunately, Martinez and his company couldn't protect that lead.