By REYNALD MAGALLON
John Earl Medina exploded for 30 points but these were not enough as Gilas Pilipinas Boys succumbed to New Zealand, 75-58, to wrap up the group stage of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup at the Arena Complex in As Salt, Jordan late Wednesday, Sept. 4.
Medina poured everything he can, trying to rally the Nationals back into the contest but a lackluster first half that allowed the young Tall Blacks to build a sizable margin proved to be too much to overcome.
While the Filipinos tried to keep in step with the Kiwis, 24-16 at the end of the opening frame, a scoring drought in the second quarter spelled doom for Gilas as it could only muster 10 points against the Tall Black’s 19.
At the break, Gilas was staring into a 17-point lead, and the closest the Nationals could get was 10, 43-53 after a Medina jumper late in the third frame.
Medina was the lone bright spot for Gilas as he fired five triples to reach his total while Mark Esperanza chipped in 14 points. After leading the attack for Gilas in the first two games, Wilhalm Cabonilas was a marked man against New Zealand and was limited to just three points.
Carter Hopoi led New Zealand with 23 points and 16 rebounds while Tamatoa Isaac did a little bit of everything with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
With the win, New Zealand took the top spot in Group D and advanced to an outright spot in the quarterfinals. Jordan placed second while Gilas finished third and would then figure in a crossover play-in with Group C.
Gilas then set up a clash with Japan on Friday, Sept. 6.
The young Akatsuki placed second in Group C with a 2-1 record, only losing to powerhouse China by just two points, 68-66. Japan hardly broke a sweat defeating Qatar, 73-55, and Kazakhstan, 84-34.
