INQUIRER PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
Coach Patrick Aquino still remembers vividly how his team sank in despair after missing its gold-medal chance in the Southeast Asian Games.
Too confident, Perlas Pilipinas got a beating from a stubborn Indonesia side that the PH women’s team didn’t expect, denying the team of a podium finish in the 2015 Singapore Games.
“It was my fault. We were overconfident at that time,” said Aquino after his Perlas squad wound up fourth behind gold medalist Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. “We will never let that happen again.”
Redemption
They’ll have the opportunity to redeem themselves when women’s basketball plays in the biennial meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Aug. 19 to 31.
“We don’t want a silver or a bronze. What we’re aiming for is no less than the gold,” said Aquino. “That’s our target and we have to claim it.”
The Philippine women’s team has yet to emerge victorious in SEA Games history.
It came close to bagging the gold in the 2013 Burma Games but was frustrated by traditional heavyweight Thailand in the end.
Almost two years removed from a disappointing finish, Aquino said they now carry a positive outlook after winning the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) in Malaysia in September last year.
Strong message
There, Perlas swept the competition and gave a strong indication that the team could finally capture that elusive gold in the SEA Games.
“The teams that finished at the podium in the last SEA Games are the same teams that we expect to battle for the gold,” said Aquino.
Half of the 2015 squad supported by Dioceldo Sy’s Ever Bilena was retained, including Analyn Almazan, Chuck Cabinbin, Allana Lim and Afril Bernardino.
“We just have to continue with the process of improvement,” said Aquino. “We continue to see positive results after the Seaba and we intend to keep it that way until the SEA Games.”
A month before the Kuala Lumpur meet, Aquino said they would see action in the Jones Cup in Taipei and probably a pocket tournament in Malaysia.