Gilas Pilipinas U16 delivered a dominant performance on home soil, routing rival Indonesia 70-40 to clinch the SEABA U16 title and a spot in the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Mongolia. It marked the country’s first regional U16 championship and gave LA Tenorio a gold medal in his debut campaign as head coach of the youth national team.

A raucous crowd filled the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in Pampanga despite heavy rain, and Gilas wasted no time giving them a show. Ethan Tan-Chi opened the game with a quick triple, and Everaigne Cruz added to the barrage as the Philippines raced to a 21-5 first-quarter lead.

Relentless defense silences Indonesian star

By halftime, Gilas had a commanding 41-20 advantage. Tenorio used the wide margin to rotate his entire bench, and the second unit kept up the pressure. The lead peaked at 34 points as Gilas shut down Indonesia’s offense with stifling defense and relentless pace.

“We played a way better defensive game from the last time we faced them,” Tenorio said. “I told the players: just do what we’ve been doing in practice for two months — aggressive, disciplined, and correct — and we won’t have problems.”

The difference was clear from their previous matchup, where Gilas had barely escaped with a 77-68 win and allowed Benjamin Hernusi to score 23 points. This time, Hernusi was held to just eight on 2-of-16 shooting.

De Los Reyes named MVP as Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia advance

Carl Gabriel De Los Reyes earned tournament MVP honors with 11 points and seven rebounds in the final. Jhustin Hallare led all scorers with 13 points, and Tan-Chi added nine on a pair of threes. Vietnam’s Nguyen Hoang Minh Khang received the Sportsmanship Award.

The Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia earned the three available Southeast Asian slots in the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup. Malaysia booked the final ticket by defeating Thailand 78-69 in the third-place game. Jeremie Cameron was ejected in the third quarter, but Malaysia held off a late rally.

Singapore made history in the fifth-place match, snapping a 14-year drought with an 87-78 win over Vietnam — its first SEABA U16 victory since 2011. Xi Jun Ong led the way with 17 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, while five teammates also scored in double digits.

Singapore coach Leo Paul Oskar Aris praised his players for the breakthrough: “It feels great to finally win one. Everybody was fighting to win.”