The Gilas Pilipinas is scheduled for a head-to-head game against team Indonesia at 6:00 PM on June 17, 2021, live from Clark, Pampanga in the Philippines.
After their hail-mary type victory just a few days ago the Gilas squad are eyeing to keep their unblemished record tonight while the Indons basketball group will do everything in their powers to slow down the home team and nail their second victory.
One of the people who kick-started the Gilas program in the Philippines will be on the opposing bench and will use his insider knowledge to their advantage. Head coach Rajko Toroman will have another opportunity at 6:00 PM to topple the Philippines men’s basketball team.
“We’ll try to push them to the limit to beat us, you know, that is our goal at this moment,” said Toroman.
Gilas on the other hand, they’ll use the momentum they’ve gained after they defeated team South Korea last Tuesday. Their victory was made possible after SJ Belangel beats the buzzer and drilled a three-pointer to break the Korean curse in the field of basketball.
Dwight Ramos was the Philippines silent operator during that match where he led his team in scoring with his 16 points along with his five rebounds. Kai Sotto and Ange Kouame, the duo that formed Gilas’ twin towers had a combined 23 points and 13 rebounds performance.
Kouame who is known for his defensive abilities was brilliant in his scoring particularly from the three-point area, a range where he rarely utilizes in his stint in the UAAP with the Ateneo Blue Eagles. The Korean squad defenders give him room from downtown similar how the defense employed by the Brooklyn Nets against Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks in their 2021 NBA Eastern Conference semis.
Yet, it was Belangel who took the spotlight in the most critical stage of the game. With few seconds left in the final quarter, the Blue Eagles guard threw a dagger and used the backboard to complete a dramatic ending.