DEADLINE dictum forced me to write this hours before the Gilas-Guam return bout started on Monday night (Dec. 1, 2025) at the Blue Eagle Gym inside the Ateneo de Manila campus on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.
Only a miracle would have stopped another Gilas win after the national team’s emphatic 87-46 destruction of Guam four days ago in Guam’s Calvo Field House? As in a mango tree suddenly bearing an avocado fruit?
Their initial encounter was a bit close in the first quarter only because of the hot hands of Jericho Cruz, the spunky San Miguel Beer guard serving as Guam’s sparkplug in the island-nation’s breakthrough stint in the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) World Cup Asian qualifiers.
But when Gilas found its range — as was expected — the Filipinos smoked the hapless Guamenians to turn the contest into a grotesque rout that made national coach Tim Cone oozing with praise.
Sure, his wards would have followed it up Monday night; if not with a similar ghastly manhandling manner, I’d still be satisfied with just a no-frills win — or it wouldn’t rain in Catanduanes during a stormy weather.
I applaud that one screaming stat in Gilas’ Game One win over Guam that saw the Filipinos haul a total of 61 rebounds, smashing the Asian Cup record of 59 jointly held by Iran and Lebanon.
That 61 also broke Gilas’ previous best of 55 rebounds set in 2022 against Saudi Arabia.
Shining brightly was Quentin Millora-Brown, who debuted with 10 rebounds as he shared the spotlight with perennial Gilas mainstay June Mar Fajardo. Fajardo also had 10 boards, AJ Edu 8 and Dwight Ramos 6 even as the rest of the 12-man roster each had a rebound.
But while Gilas’ romp of Guam is a foregone conclusion, the bigger battle for the Nationals is in the main draw of Group A, along with heavyweights Australia and New Zealand.
Jordan and Iran are also in the mix, giving Gilas Pilipinas more headaches in the chase for seven seats from Asia to the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
But knowing Cone, he could be up to the challenge — again.
Did Cone not rewrite history when he piloted Gilas to the last Asian Games gold in 2022, beating Iran, China and Jordan in succession to end a 60-year title drought for the Philippines?
With Cone in command, the ship’s steady — always.