By REYNALD MAGALLON
Kiefer Alas dazzled anew as the Gilas Pilipinas boys team clinched a spot to the FIBA U17 World Cup after escaping Japan, 64-59, in the FIBA U16 Asian Championships at the Al Gharafa Sports Club in Doha, Qatar early Saturday, Sept. 23.
The 6-foot-2 wingman took over in the third frame, dropping 14 of his 29 big points before also making the big plays down the stretch to assure the Nationals at least a top 4 finish and claim their seat in the global showpiece in Turkey next year.
The Filipinos booked their return to the youth tournament after missing the last edition of the competition and since 2018 where they finished 13th overall behind Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo and Forthsky Padrigao.
Alas also added nine rebounds and three assists – none bigger than the last two where he found Bonn Ervin Daja for two clutch baskets that created some breathing space for Gilas in the waning minutes of the contest.
Sitting at the driver’s seat, 60-55, Gilas found the young Akatsuki team fighting hard to get back into the game after cutting the lead down to just one with two minutes left in the ball game.
With Alas taking much of the attention from Japan’s defense, he found Daja who nailed a floater to keep Gilas afloat 62-59. The two reconnected a few plays after with Alas assisting Daja once more for the clutch jumper that took the fight out of the Japanese with 54 seconds left.
Joaquin Ludovice, after waxing hot for seven treys in the knockout match against South Korea, cooled down with just 11 points while Kurt Nathan Velasquez added 10.
It was in the third quarter, however, where Alas did most of the damage, scoring at will against the Japanese defense to anchor a 21-10 frame for Gilas. That allowed the Nationals to also recover from a 10-point deficit in the second quarter after losing grip of the early 7-0 lead in the opening frame.
Shugo Takata led the way for Japan with 12 points while Kenichiro Benedict and Genga Bembo added 10 apiece. Their efforts however were not enough to sustain a hot start for Japan in the tournament where it swept the group stage with a 3-0 record to get an outright quarterfinals spot
Up next for Gilas is the powerhouse Australia in the semifinals on Sunday, Sept. 24. Australia routed Jordan, 117-50, in the quarterfinals to also book its ticket to the World Cup.
