Gilas Pilipinas Women 3×3 are assured of their best-ever finish at the Asian Beach Games after advancing to the final, following a 20-13 win over Singapore in the semifinals at the Sanya Sports Centre Gymnasium in Sanya, China on Wednesday.
Mikka Cacho powered key runs for the Philippines, including an early and-one play followed by a basket that stretched Gilas’ lead to four, 9-5, with 6:46 remaining.
Singapore kept things close through their outside shooting, cutting the deficit to 9-12. But Tantoy Ferrer and Kaye Pingol combined to maintain control for the Philippines. With 2:26 left, Gilas had widened the gap to 17-11.
After the game, Cacho admitted it was a hard-fought victory as they now brace for a tougher battle against host China in the gold medal match scheduled at 7:00 PM, Wednesday.
“Sobrang saya. Pero pagod na pagod na. Pero, yeah, job’s not done. Mayroon pa kaming finals game [for the] gold medal. We’ll do our best,” she told POC Media at the venue.
Cacho led the team with eight points, while Ferrer added six. Pingol contributed five, and Gabi Bade sealed the win with the final point with five seconds remaining.
China booked its place in the final after edging Thailand, 18-16, in the other semifinal earlier in the day.
(C) POC-PSC Media
Later, a valiant comeback by Gilas Pilipinas Men fell just short as they lost to Southeast Asian rival Thailand, 18-20, in the 3×3 basketball semifinals at the Sanya Sports Centre Gymnasium.
The Filipinos rallied from a 13-19 deficit behind Nic Cabanero in the final three minutes, but the late surge proved insufficient as time ran out.
Gilas trimmed the lead to 18-20, but failed to score in their final two possessions as Thailand secured a spot in the gold medal match.
“Sa dulo parang nakahabol kami, pero we came short pa rin. Siguro more experience pa para sa amin,” said Manday.
“Siguro yung defense and yung plays namin hindi maitakbo. Credits rin sa Thailand talagang trinabaho rin nila,” he added, noting how Gilas allowed Thailand to pull away from a tight 12-12 score.
With the result, the Philippines slipped to fourth place in the overall medal standings.
As of 1:00 PM on Wednesday, the official medal tally of the 6th Asian Beach Games showed Team Philippines at fourth place with three gold, three silver, and two bronze medals. Iran surged to third with a 7-0-0 tally, while Thailand held second with 9-8-5. Host China remained on top with 21 gold, 14 silver, and eight bronze medals.
The Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 men’s team was still competing against Thailand in the semifinals at press time, while the women’s squad was also in action against Singapore in their own semifinal match.
Team Philippines’ campaign is supported by Philippine Olympic Committee President Bambol Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Pato Gregorio.
With only handball finals remaining, the closing ceremony is set for Thursday. There, the hosting rights will be formally turned over to the Philippines, which will stage the 7th Asian Beach Games in Cebu in two years.
Before this year’s edition, the Philippines’ best finish in the Asian Beach Games was 11th place in Haiyang, China, in 2012, where the country collected two silver and several bronze medals.
(C) POC-PSC Media
In sport climbing, coach John Aquino praised the national team after John Forones set a new Philippine record.
“We saw their hard work. We had three boot camps in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand,” Aquino said after Forones concluded his campaign alongside Juan Miguel Azupardo in the men’s relay qualification at the Tianya Haijiao Venue Cluster.
“We were able to put up our own speed wall through the support of the PCI (Pilipinas Climbing) and the POC, and we were able to break a national record.”
Forones reset the national mark of 7.5 seconds set by Azupardo during the 33rd Southeast Asian Games last December in Thailand, clocking 6.08 seconds in the men’s individual qualifying round, finishing 28th overall.
Meanwhile, the wrestling delegation struggled to adjust to beach competition. All six athletes failed to reach the medal rounds in the 6th Asian Beach Games, bowing out in the preliminaries at the Sanya Bay Yuhai Club.
Despite early wins from Abby Balisme and Joe Fer Callado in the women’s 60kg and men’s 70kg divisions, respectively, the results were not enough to push them into the quarterfinals.
Other representatives — Aliah Gavalez, Fierre Afan, Neonards Cervantes, and Callum Roberts — failed to register victories in what they described as a new and challenging experience for the national team.
