Batang Gilas Pilipinas started with a spark but finished with the wrong kind of déjà vu.
The Philippines opened its FIBA U18 Asia Cup rematch against Chinese Taipei with a 22-20 lead, looking ready to repeat its thrilling group-stage escape. Instead, the game slipped away in the middle quarters, ending in an 89-78 defeat and an eighth-place finish in the 16-team tournament.
The loss was the third straight for Batang Gilas after China knocked the Philippines out in the quarterfinals, 117-103.
Chinese Taipei turned the game around in the second quarter, pouring in 29 points while holding Batang Gilas to 19. The damage continued in the third, with Chinese Taipei adding another 23 points to the Philippines’ 19.
By the fourth quarter, Batang Gilas was chasing a 12-point deficit. The Philippines did manage to win the final period, 18-17, but the comeback never really got off the ground.
Kenji Moral led Batang Gilas with 22 points, while Ethan Aguas added 15, and Lino Tubongbanua Jr. chipped in 10. Chinese Taipei had four players score in double figures, spreading the scoring load while the Philippines struggled to find its shooting rhythm.
And that rhythm—or the lack of it—was a major difference from their first meeting.
Batang Gilas’ three-point shooting dropped to just 17 percent, a steep fall from the 34 percent it shot against Chinese Taipei in the group stage. Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, stayed steady at around 26-28 percent from deep.
The irony was hard to miss.
In the first meeting, Aguas was the hero as Batang Gilas escaped with an 89-88 victory. This time, he scored 15, but there was no last-second magic to save the Philippines.
The eighth-place finish in this year’s U18 Asia Cup is an improvement from the 11th-place in 2024. Batang Gilas finished fourth in 2018.
For a team that once edged Chinese Taipei by one point, the rematch offered a different lesson: a good start can open the door, but it takes four quarters to keep it open.
