By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Job well done, Gilas Girls!
All the hard work, jet lag, and effort paid off as the Gilas Girls booked a ticket to the semifinal round of the FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup after crushing Lebanon, 89-63, on June 25, 2024, at the Futian Sports Park in Shenzhen, China.
Fresh off a 141-18 dismantling of Maldives in their opening game of the prestigious basketball tournament, the young Gilas hoopers picked up where they left off after pulling off a demolition exhibition over the Lebanese national squad.
However, Gilas had to endure a great three-minute start from Lebanon after their shots from the corner and drives to the basket fell at will.
Answering the call for Gilas was Naomi Panganiban as she became the no. 1 problem for Lebanon, torching them as early as the first quarter that steered Gilas to a double-digit lead after the first 10 minutes.
The savvy scorer didn’t end her rampage and continued being aggressive in the next two quarters which put Lebanon out for good.
From her efficient three-point shooting to her sweet mid-range jump shots, Panganiban became a walking bucket for Gilas and ended up with 25 big points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
Aside from Panganiban, Gabby Ramos also stepped up for the PHL national team after chipping in a double-double performance of 12 markers and 19 boards.
Ramos anchored Gilas’ shaded lane and helped push several scoring opportunities in the break with her great defensive rebounding.
Joining the Gilas scoring party was Tiffany Reyes who matched Ramos’ offensive production in just a limited time of action.
Gilas will then take a much-deserved break and will now await their next opponent from the other two brackets that will still compete for the semifinal spot.
