A podium finish should be the target of the Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 women’s team next year.
The Gilas Pilipinas women’s team of Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, Ana Castillo, and Clare Castro did what they were supposed to do in the group phase of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2023 in Singapore. Beating Iran, they ultimately secured a spot in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately for the Filipinos, the round of eight had them matched up against the powerhouse squad of New Zealand.
The contest ended up with a conclusive score of 17-10 in favor of the towering Kiwis. Team Philippines went off to a promising start, leading the game 7-5, but the size advantage of their opponents proved to be too overwhelming. Pontejos scored 6 markers for Gilas, followed by Bernardino’s 3. Lastly, Castro of the De La Salle Lady Archers chipped in 1 point in the loss.
In contrast, all four members of Team New Zealand got buckets led by Sharne Pupuke-Robati who notched 7 points to go along with her 13 boards. The Kiwis’ second leading scorer was Krsytal Leger-Walker as she finished with 6 points.
New Zealand ended up as the second placers in the tournament as Team Australia took home the crown. Marena Whittle was named MVP of the entire competition.
Despite their exit, Gilas’ quarterfinal appearance is still an achievement to be proud of as it was the best finish of the Philippine women’s team in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup. Making it to the podium in the next iterations of the tournament is now definitely on the horizon for the Filipina cagers.
As for their male counterparts, Almond Vosotros and his crew failed to make it past round one, going winless in Pool A against Iran and Qatar.