By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Spain pulled off one of its most convincing basketball performances on the international stage after demolishing the Gilas Youth team by 62 points, 96-34, during their FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup clash on June 30, 2024, held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Taller, bigger, and more decisive with their actions, the young Spanish national team hosted a beatdown on the Filipino youngsters and didn’t give them room to breathe in all four quarters.
Spain quickly took control of the game after crushing the Filipinos in the first quarter, limiting them to just a deuce in the 10-minute frame.
With Spain already holding a 28-point lead heading into the second quarter, 30-2, the Gilas squad immediately went flat and struggled to score against the huge guards of the opposition.
No matter what adjustments Gilas made to slow down the high-octane offense of Spain, the European squad just showcased the other dimensions of their game and made it up with their tremendous defensive schemes in the perimeter.
With the huge size disparity Gilas gave up on the Spaniards, it was clear that they generated most of their offense from their three-point and perimeter shooting sets.
Eager to send a statement in the prestigious hoops tournament, Spain neutralized all of their tendencies by locking down their small shooting pockets.
Also, Spain didn’t give up Gilas’ pick-and-pop sets and was staying with their men to shut down their ability to fire from downtown.
Without the presence of their main gunner Kieffer Alas who was ruled out in the last minute of the World Cup to an ACL sprain, Gilas just failed to execute most of their plays and was lacking a go-to-guy.
Before receiving a demoralizing loss from Spain, Gilas kicked off their World Cup campaign on a very rough start after Lithuania crushed them, 107-48, on June 29, 2024.
