Philippines’ Janine Pontejo and Afril Bernardino celebrates after defeating Malaysia during the 5×5 Women’s Basketball preliminary round of the 30th South East Asian Games 2019. INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon
Two years ago, the Philippines was just minutes away from what would’ve been a breakthrough Southeast Asian Games gold medal in women’s basketball.
The team came home instead with a second straight fourth-place finish.
All the heartbreaks, including one in 2011, where the Filipino women were just seconds away from victory only to throw away the gold on a blunder, have led to this moment.
Gilas Pilipinas battles Thailand on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena for the gold medal.
“We’re really excited about it. We have to be ready to go all out because this is the moment, this is the game that we’ve all been waiting for,” coach Pat Aquino, who took over the national team in 2015, told the Inquirer on Monday.
“To do it in front of our countrymen is a big plus for us, so hopefully we’ll be able to prepare well and play our best.”
With the Filipino crowd behind them, the Gilas women dug deep to fend off a big fightback by two-time defending champion Malaysia, 81-75, Sunday night.
It was Malaysia which foiled the Philippines’ gold medal bid two years ago in a game where the Filipinos rallied from a 16-point third quarter deficit only to fall short when it mattered most.Seeking redemption, veterans Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos and Jack Animam carried Gilas down the stretch after Malaysia came back from 12 down.Aquino said the team’s painful losses in the past are what’s driving his wards in their campaign.
“It’s definitely their motivation because the last two Southeast Asian Games we missed the podium because of quotient or winner-over-the-other rule. So we said to ourselves, this is the time to prove to the rest of Southeast Asia that we deserve to be in the Level 1 division and to solidify our place there,” said Aquino, who steered the Philippine team to a Level 1 promotion in the 2015 Fiba Asia Women’s Championship.The Filipino women have also been raring to have a league of their own where they can continue playing after they graduate from college.
Aquino believes winning the gold medal will pave the way for more opportunities for his players and give more exposure on women’s basketball in the country. INQ