Gilas Youth repeats over Thailand for SEABA gold

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Gilas Pilipinas Youth team fended off a tough challenge from Thailand, 85-70, to bag the gold medal in the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup Southeast Asia Basketball Association Qualifiers on June 14, 2026, at the Chan Ka Pho Gymnasium in Krabi, Thailand.

Despite already booking a ticket to the main draw of the FIBA Asia Cup after annihilating Malaysia in the semifinals, the Gilas Boys remained consistent on both ends of the floor as they completed a 5-0 tournament sweep, dominating every opponent from the group stage onward with an average winning margin of 55 points.

However, the grand finals matchup against the home bets was not the usual game Gilas had seen, as the Thais gave the Filipinos a run for their money.

During the group stage, Gilas crushed Thailand, 98-63, to extend its unbeaten SEABA Qualifiers campaign to 3-0.

Although Gilas opened the gold medal match with a 13-point lead, Thailand nearly staged a dramatic comeback when it pulled within one point, 51-50, behind inspired shooting from downtown.

Aside from its revamped offensive schemes, Thailand also moved the ball more quickly, something it failed to execute during its first encounter.

Thailand managed to tie things up at 55-all late in the third quarter, but the Gilas Boys woke up at the perfect time, outmaneuvering the host team in the fourth and final frame.

Patrick Pasinos, Gilas’ combo guard, sparked a massive fourth-quarter avalanche, scoring on consecutive drives to the basket that helped Gilas balloon its lead to a demoralizing 16 points.

Pasinos capitalized on Thailand’s poor baseline help defense, feasting on a series of backdoor cuts that caught the home team off guard.

The rising floor general also played a key role on the defensive end as he set the tone with several steals and passing lane disruptions that kicked off Gilas’ 8-0 start in the final period.

Joaquin Tovera, who had 15 points and seven rebounds against Malaysia, picked up where he left off as he backed Pasinos in the final five minutes of regulation.

The recently crowned tournament MVP navigated through traffic, scoring on crafty drives that put Thailand in the penalty with six minutes to go in the game.

Tovera led Gilas with 21 points and six boards, while Pasinos, Gilas’ walking bucket in the fourth, chipped in 13 markers.

With the win, the Gilas Boys will now shift their focus to the main stage of the FIBA Asia Cup, set Aug. 13–23 in Ahmedabad, India.