By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Andy Gemao is in a league of his own after leading the Gilas Pilipinas Youth to a sweeping campaign in the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
After two lopsided wins over Malaysia and Thailand, the Gemao-led PHL national team continued its winning ways after crushing Indonesia, 87-64, wrapping up their SEABA Qualifiers stint with a perfect 3-0 win-loss record.
Gemao was unstoppable against Indonesia and spearheaded Gilas with a near triple-double stat line of 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.
The ‘Gemao show’ was on full display as early as the opening quarter after the Filipino teen hoops wonder already tallied 12 quick points that helped Gilas take the early advantage in the crucial game.
Gemao set the tone for Gilas’ blazing performance, slicing and dicing against the Indonesian interior defense while also finding his wide-open teammates as the opponent’s defensive perimeter continued to collapse on him.
Despite an early adjustment from Indonesia where they would double him when he was in the baseline, Gemao negated any pressure and wisely rifled the extra pass to his teammates.
After Gilas built a double-digit lead, the Indonesians failed to recover and got owned in the whole second half, thanks to another late explosion from Gemao who bullied his way in the shaded lane.
Cabs Cabonilas also stepped up for Gilas as the young big man flirted with 16 markers and nine rebounds.
Backstopping Gemao and Cabonilas is John Earl Medina who ended up with 14 points while Charles Esteban added 10 makes.
With the win, Gilas just qualified for the tournament’s main event, the FIBA U-18 Asia Cup from September 2 to September 7 in Amman, Jordan.
