Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 men, women advance to Asian Beach Games quarterfinals

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The Gilas Pilipinas men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball teams both booked quarterfinal berths at the 6th Asian Beach Games on Monday at the Sanya Sports Centre Gymnasium, with the men topping Pool A despite a loss to Iran and the women sweeping Group C with a perfect record.

The Gilas men fell to Iran, 14-21, in their final pool match to absorb their first loss of the tournament.

The defeat left the Filipinos with a 2-1 record, tied with Iran and China for the top spot in Pool A.

The Philippines emerged as the No. 1 seed in the group based on total accumulated points.

A Nic Cabañero baseline drive cut the Iranian lead to 14-19 with 1:48 remaining, but the taller Iranian squad held firm to seal the victory.

Jeff Manday paced the Philippine men with nine points while Cabañero chipped in five markers in the losing effort.

Iran flaunted a balanced offensive attack, with Mohammadmahdi Rahimi pouring in eight points and Piter Girgoorian adding seven.

“We accomplished our goal to top our pool. Just to be honest, the boys deserved to be here. They worked hard and this is a blessing for us because of the hard work we put in on the first day,” Gilas 3×3 men’s coach Patrick Fran said.

“I think this is a big preparation for us going into the quarterfinal tomorrow,” he added.

The Philippine men’s quarterfinal opponent will be determined later Monday.

The Philippine women’s 3×3 team, meanwhile, bucked a slow start to take down Kyrgyzstan, 21-15, and complete a sweep of Group C.

The win sent the Gilas women into the quarterfinals with a spotless 3-0 record, earning them an outright playoff ticket.

The Filipinas had to battle back from an early deficit after Kyrgyzstan exploited a lax Philippine defense to surge ahead in the opening minutes.

Veterans Mikka Cacho and Tantoy Ferrer sparked the comeback before Gabi Bade and Kaye Pingol drained key baskets down the stretch to seal the victory.

Ferrer, a former UAAP champion out of the University of Santo Tomas, led the Philippine charge with eight points.

Cacho added seven markers while Bade contributed five points and Pingol chipped in one.

Bade said the team must tighten its defense to mount a serious medal push in the tournament.

“Defense. Defense is going to be the key to helping us win all of these games. We just had to stay focused on defense because our shots will come, will go through if we focus on defense,” Bade said.

“You know, we can’t underestimate any team. You know, every team is good. So we just got to come out and battle and fight each game,” she added.

The Gilas women earlier defeated Indonesia, 15-11, and Macao, 21-9, in their first two Group C assignments.

Their quarterfinal opponent will be the winner of the play-in match between Kazakhstan and Macao.

The 3×3 basketball quarterfinals are set for Tuesday at the Sanya Sports Centre Gymnasium.