Gilas Pilipinas U16 girls battle Iran in Division B finals
GILAS Pilipinas girls moved on the cusp of a coveted Division A promotion, drubbing Malaysia with a big 79-44 win to advance in the 2023 FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship Division B finals yesterday at the Prince Hamzah Hall in Amman, Jordan.
Ava Fajardo fired 20 points to show the way for Gilas, which will play Iran in the finale early today (July 17) for Division B supremacy and a ticket to the elite Division A.
Iran subdued Hong Kong, 64-58, in the other semifinal pairing.
Sister of Gilas women ace guard Ella, Ms. Fajardo added 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals for an all-around outing in only 24 minutes of play.
Maria Christina Lapasaran and Ariel Star De La O chipped in 10 points apiece for the wards of coach Pat Aquino, who are now a step closer to Division A after falling short last year.
Following a sweep of the group stage, Gilas fell to Samoa in the semifinals last year to settle for a bronze medal and stay in Division B.
Proving that they meant serious business this time, Gilas shrugged off a slow 9-12 start behind a crippling 36-15 rally to take command at 45-26 at the half en route to another dominant win.
It’s the fourth straight blowout win for Gilas after running away with an average of 69.6-point winning margin in the group play.
Gilas dominated Hong Kong, 79-40, Maldives, 144-22, and host Jordan, 106-58. — John Bryan Ulanday
