Gilas vs Korea: No quarter asked, given

MANILA, Philippines - No doubt it will be sleepless in the country tonight.

Filipino fans brace themselves for a virtual night-long vigil as Gilas Pilipinas face off with nemesis South Korea in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup Final Four at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Beirut.

Gametime is 6 p.m. in Lebanon but 11:30 p.m. here as the two teams with a rich history of regional rivalry clash in a knockout match with the winner advancing to the semifinals versus the victor in the Iran-Lebanon quarterfinal match.

The Philippines is riding the crest of a three-game sweep in Pool B while Korea is all fired up with three straight wins up after a close loss to host Lebanon on opening day.

A win away from the medal matches, the Nationals press their bid against a team which has inflicted some of the nation’s bitter losses in the past.

Who would forget the buzzer-beating three-pointer by Lee Sang Min to steal the win in the Philippines-Korea semifinal showdown in the 2002 Busan Asiad?

Korea also dealt the Philippines heartrending losses in their knockout battles in 2009 in Tianjin and in 2011 in Wuhan.

But Gilas has ended the Korean curse in Team Phl’s classic triumph at home in 2013 that became its ticket to the 2014 World Championship in Spain.

The two teams didn’t meet in Changsha in 2015 but the Philippines outperformed Korea with its second-place finish behind host China.

Forward Lee Junghyun and centers Kim Jongkyu, Lee Jonghyun and Lee Seounghyun are holdovers from Korea’s 2015 team, forwards Oh Sekeun and Choi Junyong, and guards Kim Sunhyung and Chan Hee Park are reactivated from previous Korean teams while the rest are newcomers.

Oh, a 6-foot-8 forward who’s veteran of two previous Asia Cups and the 2014 World Cup, and Kim, a 6-2 guard who played in the 2013 FIBA Asia and in the 2014 world joust, are the Koreans’ lead guns in Beirut averaging 13.8 and 12.8 points, respectively.

Filipino coaches, led by head coach Chot Reyes,  should have an edge in scouting since they saw the Koreans up close in their battle with the Gilas cadets in the recent Jones Cup.

The cadets made one of 26 three-point attempts against a menacing South Korean defense, and dropped an 83-72 setback in their Taipei tiff.

But Terrence Romeo and his teammates have been shooting well than the Koreans in the Lebanon conclave. The Filipinos average 12.3 three-pointers on a high 42-percent clip while the Koreans hit only nine triples on 36-percent shooting per game.

The question is how would Gilas handle the Korean’s dreaded extended zone defense.

With their efficient defense and good ball movement on the offensive end, the Koreans routed the Kazakhs, 116-55; stunned the Kiwis, 76-75; and toppled the Japanese, 81-68.

Oh collected 16 points, five steals, four rebounds and two assists as the Koreans rolled past the Japanese in the first round of the knockout matches to set the stage for another faceoff with the Filipinos.

The Philippines has won five Asia Cup crowns against Korea’s two. But the Koreans have been far more consistent with 11 second- and 11 third-place finishes in the biennial meet.