Gilas girls vent ire on Lebanese, claim third place  

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas girls took home the next possible prize after a foiled Division A promotion bid, securing the Division B bronze medal with a 90-68 trouncing of Lebanon at the close of the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship in Amman, Jordan.

Kristan Yumul scattered 20 points, two rebounds, six assists and three steals as the Nationals vented their ire on Lebanon with a 22-point trashing to salvage a podium finish.

Gabby Ramos added the same output with five boards and three steals while Naomi Panganiban hauled down a near double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds in Gilas’ redemption win.

Gilas, after sweeping the group stage, suffered a stinging 88-73 loss in the semifinals against eventual champion Samoa thus falling short in its Division A promotion dream.

Led by Kira-May Filemu (23) and Azaleeah Oloapu (20), Samoa went on to achieve that feat by ruling the Division B tilt with a 79-76 win over Syria in the finals featuring Cinderella squads.

Samoa actually bowed to the Philippines in Pool A action, 94-65, before pulling off a full reversal, paving the way for a stellar championship run.

Meanwhile, in Division A, Australia defended its throne after repulsing Japan, 59-58, in the finale.

South Korea finished at third followed by New Zealand and India to complete the ranking of Division A that will feature Division B queen Samoa as its new member in the next edition.