MANILA — Using speed and fiery outside shooting, Gilas Pilipinas trumped a tall and athletic Kazakhstan national squad, 92-89, Friday night in their final tuneup game before the FIBA Asia Championship unfolds on August 1. Jayson Castro rebounded from a miserable performance in Gilas' game against the PBA All-Stars Wednesday to lead the Nationals with 20 points in just 18 minutes of action. Singled out by Gilas head coach Chot Reyes for his erratic plays in that match, Castro redeemed himself Friday with his dazzling show of speed and guile that obliterated the Kazakhs' defense. “He was the best player out there,” Reyes said of his prized shooting guard who is touted as the Philippines' biggest weapon in the FIBA Asia tournament. Unfortunately, Castro suffered an ankle injury late in the match after he was fouled hard in mid-air by Kazakhstan's burly forward Mikhail Yevstigneyev. Castro fell hard on the floor and grimaced in pain. Ranidel de Ocampo, another Gilas player, also suffered ankle injuries during the game. Jeff Chan also sizzled for 20 points, making 14 of them in the first half. Larry Fonacier and Jimmy Alapag added 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Nationals showed a huge improvement from their last game, shooting 49 percent from the field to defeat a strong Kazakhstan squad which is regarded as a legitimate contender for the title and a potential FIBA Asia quarterfinal round match-up for the Philippines. “In my books, Kazakhstan is one of the strongest,” said Reyes. The Gilas coach said he was particularly wary of Anton Ponomarev, who torched the hoops with 14 points in the first half. However, Ponomarev scored just two points in the second half after Marc Pingris put the handcuffs on him. Gilas waxed hot right from the start and led by as many as nine, 26-17. With Castro running rings on the Kazakh defense, the Nationals stayed in command, 42-35, in the first five minutes of the second quarter. However, the Kazakhs unleashed an 11-0 run after a timeout and erected a 51-46 lead before ending the half with a 53-51 edge. In the final minutes of the game, Gilas took the lead, 88-87 , after two free throws by Jimmy Alapag who subbed for the injured Castro. The Nationals then forced Kazakhstan into a turnover. Chan then buried sixth three-point shot to give Gilas a 91-87 lead with 55.2 seconds left. Kazakh naturalized point guard Jerry Johnson, who finished with 17 points to lead Kazakhstan, hit a floater to cut the deficit to two points. Marcus Douthit drew a foul in the next play, splitting his free throws with 14.7 seconds left. Kazakhstan had one final chance to tie the game, but Ponomarev missed on a desperation trey at the buzzer, allowing Gilas to escape with the victory. Gilas Pilipinas opens their FIBA Asia campaign against Saudi Arabia on Aug. 1. The Nationals then tangle with Jordan the following day and Chinese Taipei at the close of the first round of the preliminaries on Aug. 3.
