Gilas Boys Rally From 14 Down, But Japan Had the Final Answer—What Happens Next?

Gilas Pilipinas Youth refused to go quietly, but Japan had just enough answers down the stretch.

The Philippines absorbed an 80–75 defeat to Japan on Saturday in the classification round of the 2026 FIBA U18 Asia Cup at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, leaving the young Nationals with one final game to determine their finishing position in the tournament.

The defeat was particularly painful because Gilas had mounted a serious fourth-quarter comeback after falling behind by double digits early.

Japan came out firing and quickly built a 25–11 advantage in the opening quarter. The Filipinos gradually chipped away at the deficit and entered halftime down by only five, 39–34.

Then came the late fightback.

Chog Moral once again became the spark for Gilas, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter and finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and four steals. Moral had erupted for 26 points against China just a day earlier and continued to provide one of the brightest individual performances for the Philippines.

With just over three minutes remaining, JB Cagurungan knocked down a three-pointer that pulled Gilas within 63–67, giving the Philippines a realistic chance to complete the comeback.

But Japan repeatedly answered.

Kaito Nakamura and Kenichiro Benedict helped Japan rebuild its cushion, while timely baskets from Aru Takahashi and Yousef Thompson kept the Filipinos from getting all the way back. Japan eventually closed out the five-point victory.

Benedict led Japan with 20 points, while Cayman Tsuneoka delivered a strong all-around performance with 15 points and nine rebounds. Nakamura added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.

For Gilas, George Aidan Green and Patrick Pasinos contributed 10 points apiece alongside Moral’s team-high 21.

Another tough setback after China loss

The Japan defeat came only 24 hours after Gilas suffered a 117–103 quarterfinal loss to China, ending the Philippines’ hopes of advancing to the semifinals. Chog Moral led the Filipinos in that game as well, exploding for 26 points.

That result also ended the Philippines’ hopes of earning a place in the 2027 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, with China’s quarterfinal victory securing the first World Cup ticket available from the tournament.

Gilas had entered the quarterfinals after a strong group-stage campaign that included wins over Chinese Taipei and Thailand, before defeating Syria in the qualification round. The loss to China was only the team’s second defeat of the tournament before Japan handed the Filipinos another setback.

One more game remains

Despite consecutive defeats, the campaign is not completely over.

Gilas Pilipinas Youth will play one final classification game for seventh place, with Chinese Taipei emerging as the opponent after its 105–84 loss to Iran on Saturday. INQUIRER.net reported that the Philippines will have one last opportunity to finish at least seventh in the tournament.

The young Nationals may have fallen short against Japan, but the late rally showed the team’s refusal to surrender—while Moral’s back-to-back scoring performances have given Philippine basketball fans another young player to watch closely.

The final result may not be what Gilas wanted. But with one game left, there is still something to play for.