E-Gilas topples Indonesia anew to nail FIBA Esports Open III title

April 19 ------ In a finals rematch of the inaugural FIBA Esports Open, E-Gilas Pilipinas repeats over Indonesia to capture its second tournament title. E-Gilas Pilipinas completed its unbeaten run in the Southeast Asia leg of the FIBA Esports Open III with a sweep of Indonesia in the best-of-three finals on Sunday, April 18.

In a finals rematch of the inaugural FIBA Esports Open, the Philippines repeated over Indonesia and captured its second tournament title with a 60-53 win in Game 1 and a 44-36 victory in Game 2. "We've been preparing for this Indonesia team. I know they are a good team. They improved a lot. We watched their films to study their moves and tendencies," said E-Gilas veteran Rial "Rial" Polog Jr. "I'm so happy with the results."

Aljon "Shintarou" Cruzin showed the way anew for E-Gilas as he led the team in scoring in both matches. Named the tournament MVP, Shintarou churned out 25 points on a 7-of-9 clip from long range to go with 11 assists and hit several clutch buckets against Indonesia in Game 1. Indonesia took a 48-47 lead before Shintarou knocked down back-to-back triples for a 53-48 advantage. Shintarou then dished out an assist for a Philippe "IzzoIV" Herrero IV dunk and buried another three-pointer for the final tally. IzzoIV also starred in Game 1 with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Custer "Custer" Galas had 9 points.

Game 2 saw the Indonesians seize a 10-8 edge after the opening period, but the Filipinos found their groove in the middle quarters, 27-11, to run away with the convincing win. Shintarou put up 19 points and 8 assists in Game 2, while IzzoIV delivered 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. Arnie "ElChapo" Sison made his presence felt for the Philippines in Game 2 with 5 points and 8 rebounds. Coached by Nite Alparas, E-Gilas is also composed of Clark "Clark" Banzon and Ian "Ian" Santiago.

Source: rappler.com