Welsh Kendrick Osorio

Struggling without its injured high-flying star Andy Gemao, the Gilas Pilipinas under-18 team suffered another defeat at the hands of New Zealand, 75-58, in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 at the Prince Hamza Sports Hall in Amman, Jordan on Wednesday, September 4 (PH time).

Photo Courtesy of FIBA Basketball.

John Earl Medina covered for the shortfall left by Gemao—who suffered a third metacarpal bone fracture during a tune-up game against Iran—by drilling in a game-high 30 points but his efforts proved futile as the Filipinos succumbed to the overwhelming defense of New Zealand.

The 18 year-old shooting guard was a man on a mission after firing 23 of his 30 in the second half alone with a near-flawless 7-of-8 shooting from the two-point range and a 5-of-12 clip from the rainbow country.

Waxing hot right from the start of the third frame, Medina converted a three-point play midway before sealing his personal 7-0 barrage with a triple to whittle down the deficit to just 10 and crawl back from a 19-point hole, 51-41.

But the black-clad troops from Oceania quickly extinguished the fire of the Filipino cagers, as Kahu Treacher nailed a three-pointer to extend their margin to 15 points, 58-43, before closing out the quarter.

The Adamson University product even retaliated with back-to-back triples late in the payoff period but lacked support from his teammates, allowing New Zealand to comfortably secure the victory.

Carter Hopoi led the charge for the Kiwis, doling out a double-double performance of 23 points and 16 boards while Tamatoa Isaac scattered 16 markers, nine rebounds, and six assists to top Group D and clinch the quarterfinals berth with a 3-0 record.

Following a tough loss against Jordan barely 24 hours prior, the Josh Reyes-mentored squad dropped to 1-2 win-loss card in Group D, which remains enough to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The Gilas Boys will face powerhouse and 2022 runners-up Japan, who ended up in second place in Group C with a 2-1 record, in the knockout match on Friday, September 6, at 9:30 pm, Manila time.