PHNOM PENH — Gilas Pilipinas’ 3×3 teams survived the first day and marched on to the semifinal round of the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments here at the Morodok Techo National Stadium Elephant Hall 2 here on Saturday.
The men’s team completed a sweep, this after Almond Vosotros, Lervine Flores, and the rest of the squad trounced Indonesia, 21-11, to advance to the crossover semifinals.
Vosotros took care of business hitting those three bombs while Flores muscled his way and played bully ball all day against his defenders as the two key members of the Philippine Basketball Association grand slam teams TNT are right on track in helping the team regain the 3×3 crown alongside teammates Joseph Sedurifa and Joseph Eriobu.
But standing in their way is defending champion Thailand, which finished second in Group B.
If the men’s team completed its elimination round campaign with a breeze by sweeping its three matches, the women’s squad had to earn it the hard way.
The Filipinas hurdled the challenge of defending champion Thailand, 14-8, and in return, earned a semifinal collision with American-reinforced Cambodia, which earlier survived Indonesia.
With the win, the Philippines managed to set up a semifinal duel with Cambodia, which earlier survived Indonesia.
Beefed up by American players, Cambodia will definitely serve as the biggest test for the Filipinas’ bid of making their way back to the gold medal round.
Game time is 9:20 a.m. as the Filipinas hope to use their experience a Cambodian squad that just retooled its roster.
“We cannot say and do anything about the lineup of Cambodia, but I’m sure the experience we had in our previous 3×3 events will be our main weapon,” added Aquino.
The Philippines was the inaugural staging champion of the women’s 3×3 event when we won the gold in Manila and capped its historic run when it also bagged its first-ever gold in the five-on-five.
Earlier, the Filipinas lost to the Vietnamese side, 19-21, which put our cagebelles in a must-win situation against the Thais.
But there’s no denying the team composed of the returning Jack Animam, mainstays Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos, and new addition Mikka Cacho is barging to the semis.
Animam, back on representing the Philippine squad after being sidelined by an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear in last year’s Games in Hanoi, was so efficient in rebounding and as a roller in pick-and-roll situations while Bernardino pierced the defenders with her slashing moves to the basket.
