Batang Gilas crushes Lebanon, finishes fifth

MANILA, Philippines - Batang Gilas smashed a hapless Lebanon, 89-74, yesterday to finish fifth and salvage some measure of pride in the FIBA-Asia Under-16 Championship at the Britama gym in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Jonas Tibayan led the scoring with 16 points while SJ Belangel flirted with a triple-double with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Nationals, who slammed the Thais, 81-46, the day before, sealed the win.

This was Batang Gilas’ worst finish in the biennial meet after placing fourth twice in Malaysia in 2009 and Vietnam in 201I. In 2013, it placed second to China to give the Philippines its first ever FIBA Worlds appearance.

The Filipinos, however, could go home with the thought that they ended the heavily favored Chinese’ undefeated win streak spanning eight years with a shock 78-72 win at the close of the elims last Tuesday.

The victory earned Batang Gilas the No. 2 seeding in the quarters before running into a rough Japan and falling to a heartbreaking 66-73 defeat Thursday.