Gilas U18 yields to Lebanon, misses out on U19 World Cup berth

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas U18 boys' campaign at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship in Iran skidded to a halt on Wednesday after a 99-83 loss to Lebanon in the quarterfinals at the Azadi Basketball Hall.

Despite sweeping the group stage, the Gilas boys fell flat to begin their match against the Lebanese.

In the early goings, Lebanon pushed their lead to twin-digits barely halfway into the first frame, 15-5, after a 3-pointer by Bryan Mansour.

That was already the beginning of the end for the Gilas boys, who struggled to make their shots while their foes waxed hot.

A third quarter run saw Gilas move within 13, 44-57, after a layup by Joshua Coronel.

But Lebanon uncorked a 14-2 run to restore their lead to 25, 71-46, with 3:07 left in the third quarter.

The lead proved insurmountable for Gilas, which failed to secure a slot to the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary. They are also relegated to the classification matches for the rest of the tiff.

Lebanon's biggest lead stood at 37.

Mason Amos was the lone bright spot for the Gilas youngsters with 11 points, seven boards and two assists.

Mansour and Karim Rtail contributed 28 and 25 points, respectively, for Lebanon to lead the demolition job.

Gilas faces the loser of the quarterfinals match between Taipei and Japan on Friday.