Alas playing cards right

Kieffer Alas delivered a double-double performance anew for the Philippines as Gilas Youth battered Malaysia, 75-52, in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship at the Al-Rayyan Indoor Hall in Doha early Wednesday.

The 16-year-old son of multi-titled coach Louie Alas and brother of NLEX star Kevin Alas scored 15 points behind a 6-of-15 shooting from the field and grabbed 13 rebounds to put Gilas at second place in Group D with a 2-1 win-loss record.

Alas, who also plays for De La Salle Zobel, has been a consistent performer for Gilas so far, averaging 17.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in three games.
The Philippines finished the first quarter with a 21-point lead, 29-8.

The Philippines likewise imposed its will inside the shaded area, scoring 34 points inside the paint and grabbing 60 rebounds.

Kurt Nathan Velasquez, who suits up for the University of Santo Tomas, scored 13 points behind a 5-of-7 shooting from the field and hauled seven rebounds and three assists.

Elvin Hoo, Tze Hen Brandon Kho and Yen Joon Chua all scored seven points for Malaysia as no one from the team reached double digits.

The Philippines will be up against South Korea in the playoffs on Friday at the Al-Gharafa Indoor Hall in Doha at 12:30 a.m. (Manila time).

Gilas will be on the lookout for Daniel Edi, who averaged 13.7 points, six rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Koreans.

A win here will have the Philippines face Japan in the quarterfinals as Gilas aim for one of the four tickets for the FIBA U19 World Cup in Turkey next year if they can make the semis.

In their first game, China clobbered the Philippines, 84-67.

Stung by the loss, Gilas stormed back and crushed Kazakhstan, 66-42.