By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball team finally notched a much-needed boost after displaying its firepower against Lebanon, 107-96, during their opening match in the final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers last February 24, 2023, held at the Philippine Arena.
Playing in front of thousand of their kababayans, Gilas immediately caught fire in the opening quarter led by the debuting Justin Brownlee who put the crowd on their feet after draining his first two three-pointers as a full-fledged naturalized Filipino.
Brownlee paid off the trust the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) gave him after showing the Filipinos a preview of what he can bring to the international hoops scene, scoring buckets while providing the intangibles that glued the national team in the first 10 minutes of action.
The current Barangay Ginebra San Miguel super import helped Gilas end the first quarter with a 25-19 lead while silencing the critics saying that the national team will always have a slow start against the well-oiled Lebanese gunners.
It was another scoring avalanche for Gilas in the second quarter after its guards joined the three-point party headlined by the returning Jordan Heading who was making it rain from downtown.
From a narrow six-point lead entering the second period, the prized Pinoy hoopers only needed five minutes to balloon its lead to as much as 17 points.
Lebanon responded after hitting tons of treys but it was Gilas who ended the quarter with a bang after a well-designed decoy play for Brownlee who slammed the ball for a 53-41 lead at the half.
It was all Gilas in the second half as the men in blue continued to execute on the offensive end, draining wide-open threes while making hard cuts to the basket for bonus points.
Amongst all Gilas members, it was the youngest player in the team that stole the show in the second half. Mason Amos, the 18-year-old stretch big man making his debut for the Gilas seniors’ squad, shot the lights out and displayed an off-the-charts confidence level on the FIBA stage.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles commit drained his first long bomb of the night with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter while following it up with another trey a minute after.
Amos’ shooting ability made Gilas’ offense efficient after reaching their goal of spreading the floor against the pesky perimeter defense of Lebanon.
The national team continued its barrage in the final canto and succeeded in their mission of exacting their revenge against the Lebanese team that defeated them in last year’s FIBA Asia Cup and a window of the FIBA Asian Qualifiers.
Brownlee top-scored for the national team with 17 markers built from 7/14 shooting from the field while the high-flying Jamie Malonzo and Amos combined for 28 points.
Despite the huge win, Gilas will still have unfinished business against Jordan and will square off with the red-hot team today at 6 PM.
