Syria test Gilas Youth’s mettle

Gilas Pilipinas Youth will try to keep its 2027 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup dream alive when it faces Syria in the playoff round of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup on Thursday at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.

Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (Manila time) as the Philippines enters the knockout stage needing two more victories to secure a place in the semifinals and, more importantly, a ticket to next year’s U19 World Cup in Pardubice, Czech Republic.

Gilas Youth finished second in Group A with a 2-1 record after opening its campaign with a thrilling 89-88 escape over Chinese Taipei, suffering a 69-107 setback to defending champion Australia before bouncing back with a 91-62 rout of Thailand.

The Filipinos are expected to have the upper hand against Syria, which finished third in Group B with a 1-2 record.

The Syrians’ lone victory came at the expense of winless Lebanon, 72-64, giving them their first win in the competition in 14 years.

The Philippines has not reached the semifinals since 2018, when the team led by Kai Sotto, AJ Edu and Dave Ildefonso finished fourth.

Gilas Youth cannot afford to look too far ahead, however, as a victory over Syria would set up a daunting quarterfinal clash against 11-time champions China.