Batang Gilas raps Lebanon in Fiba Asia U-18
MANILA, Philippines — AJ Edu and Dolph Panopio lived up to hype in their first team up with Kai Sotto as Batang Gilas blasted Lebanon, 75-53, to kick off its campaign in the 2018 FIBA-Asia U18 Championship at the Studio 29 in Bangkok, Thailand Sunday night.
The 6-10 Edu, a Fil-Nigerian now studying at University of Toledo in Ohio, US, dished out a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds with five blocks to boot while Panopio, a guard who declined Italy’s offer to join its youth team for a chance to play for the Phl, likewise turned in an impressive 12-point, four-rebound, six-assist and three-steal performance as they powered the Batang Gilas to a 22-point romp.
The strong start should boost Team Phl’s spirits and confidence as they fight for one of the four slots to the FIBA U19 World Cup at a still unspecified venue next year.
Batang Gilas was playing United Arab Emirates at presstime before closing out its Group B stint against fancied China at 5:45 p.m. today.
The 7-1 Sotto also finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and a shot block while Dave Ildefonso paced the squad with 19 points, the bulk coming in the first half when they seized control.
The Filipinos held the Lebanese to a 31-percent shooting clip that saw the latter miss 49 of their 71 shots.
The Nationals also dominated the boards, 61-36, with Raven Cortez and Miguel Oczon pulling down nine and seven caroms, respectively.
The scores:
Batang Gilas 75 – Ildefonso 19, Edu 17, Panopio 12, Sotto 12, Ramirez 5, Amsali 5, Cortez 2, Chiu 2, Abadiano 1, Oczon 0, Torres 0, Lina 0
Lebanon 53 – Zanbaka 12, Kopaly 9, Dargham 7, Bedikian 6, Kasab 6, Htait 5, Khoueiry 3, Khayat 2, Mougharbel 2, Saade 1, Samaha 0, Karime 0
Quarterscores: 25-15; 41-33; 59-41; 75-53
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