Kiefer Ravena of the Philippines, center, drives towards the basket during the men’s basketball semifinal match against Thailand at the SEA Games in Singapore, Sunday, June 14, 2015. The Philippines won to set up a battle with Indonesia for the gold. AP
SINGAPORE — For the Philippines, it’s basketball. For Singapore, it’s the water polo team. Thailand has dominated the Southeast Asian Games football competition since 1973, when Myanmar won the last of its five consecutive titles.
All three teams have advanced as expected to gold-medal matches in their respective sports. Now reputations are on the line.
The Filipinos are set to clash with the Indonesians at 8 p.m., Monday, June 15, 2015, at the OCBC Hall 1.
There was mild alarm among Filipino fans when the men’s team trailed Thailand by 11 points at halftime in the semifinals on Sunday night. A third-quarter surge gave Philippines the lead, and ultimately set up an 80-75 win and a spot in Monday’s final against Indonesia, which beat Singapore 87-74.
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Jeth Troy Rosario led the Filipinos with 27 points and 12 rebounds, helping to keep his team on course for a 17th title. The Philippines has won all but one of the SEA Games basketball gold medals since the sport was introduced to the program in 1977, winning 10 straight titles since Malaysia beat them to break the sequence in the 1989 final.
Singapore, which has won every men’s water polo gold medal since the sport was introduced in 1965, trounced Philippines 23-2 on Sunday to ensure the gold medal is at stake against Indonesia in the hours leading up to the closing ceremony on Tuesday.
Thailand picked up three of the first six Pencak Silat titles among its haul on Sunday and led the medal standings with 87 golds, five ahead of host Singapore and 14 clear of third-place Vietnam at the end of the third-to-last day of competition. There are 16 more gold medals on offer in the last two days.
The Thai delegation is expecting another important gold on Monday, when the 14-time champions go into the football final against Myanmar as a hot favorite after a 5-0 semifinal win against Indonesia and scoring 21 goals and conceding just one in the tournament so far.
“We are 100 percent confident that we can win,” Thailand captain Sarach Yooyen told a news conference Sunday, “but we have to be very careful against Myanmar, they can be dangerous.”
Myanmar edged Vietnam 2-1 in the other semifinal to reach only its third SEA Games final since its golden run ended in the 1970s. Coach Kyi Lwin will be hoping for third time lucky — Myanmar lost the 2007 and 1993 finals to Thailand.
“Our supporters from Myanmar and the people who have supported us here in Singapore are all very passionate for success from our football team,” Kyi Lwin said. “They are important in us making it all the way to the final.”
Malaysia held onto fourth place on the standings with 59 gold medals, including a pair in rhythmic gymnastics when Koi Sie Yan and Shasangari Nagarajan couldn’t be separated in the individual all around final Sunday.
The Malaysian teammates finished level with 60.250 points, with Thailand’s Prawatyotin Panjarat taking bronze with 57.350 points.
“It is a bonus for us to win two gold medals in one event,” Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told the Bernama news agency after presenting the medals. “I hope this success will inspire other young gymnasts to excel.”
Koi posted the leading scores in hoop and ball and was second in clubs to Nagarajan, who also posted the top score in ribbons.
Eleven-year-old waterskier Aaliyah Yoong became the youngest athlete to win a golden double at the SEA Games with her victory in the women’s overall event. She defended her title in the tricks competition on Friday.
“I feel really proud to win two gold medals,” said Yoong, who won the tricks title in 2011 when she was eight. She said she was confident of a double in Singapore, “Yeah, because it’s my target.” Her 38-year-old brother, the ex-Formula One driver Alex Yoong, took silver in the men’s overall competition.
Elsewhere, Marlina Herawan scored a game-high 15 points as Indonesia finished the women’s basketball round-robin with a 4-1 record after a 52-46 win over Thailand on Sunday, securing at least a silver medal.
In the women’s volleyball, gold-medal favorite Thailand fended off Indonesia 21-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-13 to reach the final in a game that was tied 19-19-19 in the third after the opening two sets were split.