By REYNALD MAGALLON
Khate Castillo waxed hot from deep as Gilas Pilipinas got back on the winning track after dealing Vietnam with a 116-58 crushing in the 5-on-5 women’s basketball tournament in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the Elephant Hall 2 Morodok Techo National Stadium on Saturday, May 13.
After absorbing their first loss at the hands of Indonesia, the Filipinas came out with extra fire in their eyes, firing 11 triples in a hot-shooting first half to bounce back and remain in contention for a podium finish with a 3-1 record.
It was Castillo who showed the way for Gilas, firing 22 points built on fiery 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
Jack Animam also bounced back from a lackluster performance last time out dropping 13 of his 16 points in the first half, apart from 13 rebounds while Clare Castro chalked up 15.
Three other Filipinas finished in double-figures with Afril Bernardino finishing with 12 and Janine Pontejos and Camille Clarin adding 11 each as Gilas wound up with 18 triples at the end of the wire-to-wire affair.
With the hopes of completing a three-peat not anymore on its hands, Gilas made sure to control what it can control, opening the game with a fiery offensive display that saw them take a 35-25 lead at the end of the opening frame.
If that was not enough, the Filipinas even shifted to a higher gear in the second quarter especially on the defensive end limiting the Vietnamese to just nine points while exploding for 33 for a commanding 34-point lead, 68-34 at the half.
