The dream of qualifying for the FIBA U19 World Cup ended for Gilas Pilipinas Youth as they absorbed an 85-61 defeat to Japan in the qualifiers to the quarterfinals.

This ended the campaign of the young Philippine team in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024.

Gilas was led by Mark Esperanza, who was a huge revelation in the regional meet, as he scored 16 points while also showing his playmaking capabilities with a team-high six assists. John Earl Medina, who dropped 30 points in their last game against New Zealand, had another double-digit output with 11 markers, anchored on three triples.

The Philippines battled well against the Japanese side in the first quarter and even held the lead 19-18 after a Medina jump shot. However, Japan ended the opener with a 5-0 run and got a lead that they will not relinquish.

Gilas had their best moment of the second half at the midway mark of the third quarter where Louis Allen Perez and Johnkurl Ruiz Figueroa went on a 6-0 run. This trimmed the lead of Japan to six, 53-47.

Japan bounced back quickly with an 11-3 run to end the third period. The Filipino youngsters battled with all their might but Japan had a response for every rally attempt from Gilas as they held on to the double-digit lead until the end.

The win was a measure of revenge for Japan as it was Gilas that denied them a spot in the FIBA U17 World Cup 2024. A younger Josh Reyes-led squad defeated Japan 64-59 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023.

Achieving the same feat would prove to be too tough for the U18 Gilas squad, especially after Andy Gemao bowed out of the tournament due to a hand injury.

Japan will now challenge the undefeated Australian team for a spot in the semifinals and, more importantly, a ticket to Switzerland to go up against the world’s best next year.