E-Gilas blanks Indonesia, stays unscathed
MANILA, Philippines — E-Gilas Pilipinas remained unbeaten in the FIBA Esports Open 2020 en route to clinching the Southeast Asia Conference championship on Saturday.
The Filipino gamers showed no mercy as they routed Indonesia in Games Three and Four, 66-34 and 79-44, respectively.
Their Game Three outing was the title-clinching win after also taking the first two games in the best-of-five series.
Eager to secure the championship, E-Gilas Pilipinas did not hold back in the third matchup as Aminolah "Rial" Polog Jr. gave the team an early 19-7 lead which eventually ended with a huge 23-7 advantage at the half.
The Indons made a comeback effort in the second half but E-Gilas held strong, taking an 11-0 run, and still ended the game with a comfortable 32-point margin.
Despite having the title in the bag, E-Gilas Pilipinas continued to dominate Team Indonesia as they took a strong 15-0 run at the start of Game 4.
But Indonesia quickly bounced back with a 11-point run of their own, ending the first quarter within four points of the Filipinos, 11-15.
The Indons continued their inspired showing into the second salvo and keeping the game close.
Their opponents' persistence only seemed to fuel E-Gilas, who worked to maintain their distance.
Come the second half, E-Gilas put on a show with their handles, dunks and three-point shooting.
E-Gilas Pilipinas breached the 70-point mark with roughly two and a half minutes still left in the game.
The Filipinos ended the game with a 35-point difference, the biggest margin in the Southeast Asia conference so far.
Aminolah "Rial" Polog Jr. was the high scorer for both games, notching 30 and 28 points in Games Three and Four, respectively.
Polog played an almost perfect game in Game Four, making 11 out of his 12 attempted shots -- six of which were three-pointers.
"We're still looking forward to the next few games," said E-Gilas member Philippe "Izzo" Herrero IV after their title-clinching win.
Herrero says the team plans to win their remaining game to complete a full sweep of the tournament.
Polog mirrored the same sentiments in a post-match interview with Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
"No mercy talaga, kung baga ibibigay namin yung todo namin," Polog stated.
Their fifth and final match against Indonesia is scheduled tomorrow, June 21, at 6:45 p.m.
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