BATANG Gilas routed host Indonesia, 113-73, to sweep the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Under-18 Championship on Wednesday night in Medan.
National University (NU) juniors standout Joshua Sinclair again sparkled for the Philippine squad with 25 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, while skipper Jolo Go added 14, 10 came in the first half where the young Filipino dribblers seized control of the game.
With the win, the Philippines is now assured of a spot in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Under-18 tournament in Iran this July.
Batang Gilas was playing Thailand for the gold medal on Thursday night, while Indonesia and Malaysia were fighting for the remaining berth in Iran.
The Indons were hard pressed to win against the defending champions, as they needed a win to play in the gold-medal match.
They managed to stay in the game, trailing by just four points, 18-22, after the first period, but the Filipinos started to pull away as they outscored the hosts, 25-16, in the next quarter to carry a 47-34 lead going to the break.
Batang Gilas exploded for 66 points in the second half while limited Indonesia to just 39 to complete their domination.
University of the Philippines Integrated School’s Jonas Tibayan added 13 points and eight rebounds, while NU’s Theo Joshua Flores added 11 markers for the team of Head Coach Mike Oliver.
Thailand went to the gold-medal match after surviving Singapore, 69-65, to finish second behind the Philippines with a 4-1 win-loss mark.
Malaysia kept its hope for a berth in Fiba joust with a 97-65 victory over Laos and faced Indonesia for the bronze medal.