By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Gilas Pilipinas proved their doubters wrong after reasserting their mastery over Thailand, 93-69 in their second game of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers November window.
The offense came sweet and easy for head coach Jong Uichico and his young Gilas army after the boys in white and blue were off to a blazing start, scoring 10 quick points in just two minutes of the first quarter.
However, Thailand supercenter Chanatip Jakrawan refused to back down and dominated underneath after bullying his way against the thinner Justine Baltazar of Gilas.
Just when Thailand thought they could make it a toe-to-toe affair, the Gomez de Liaño brothers took charge for the Philippines.
Javi and Juan both top-scored for Gilas and combined for an emphatic 33 points, with Javi scoring 19 and Juan contributing 14.
The biggest revelation for Gilas was Javi who shot the lights out, going 4-out-of-4 from the three-point area.
Calvin Oftana, who was not included in the active lineup during their first game, impressed the coaching staff after chipping in 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The win gave Gilas a solo commanding lead in Group A with a 3-0 record while South Korea sits in the second spot, holding a record of 2-0.
