MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas won all three games in pool play to reach the men’s 3×3 basketball semifinals of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Almond Vosotros, Lervin Flores, Joseph Eriobu and Joseph Sedurifa convincingly defeated Laos (21-5), Vietnam (21-13) and Indonesia (21-11) at Morodok Techo Indoor Sports Center to emerge on top of Pool A.
The Filipino cagers will take on the second place team in Pool B in Sunday’s semifinals at the same venue with the goal of setting up a battle for gold between Cambodia or Pool A runner-up Vietnam.
Cambodia also swept its pool with a lineup that included three naturalized players in Sayeed Pridgett, Brandon Peterson and Darrin Dorsey.
The host nation stunned defending champion Thailand (21-18) before beating Singapore (21-13) and Malaysia (21-12).
Gilas is seeking to rebound from a bronze medal finish in last year’s edition in Hanoi, Vietnam, this time with a roster composed of mainstays from the PBA 3×3.
The Philippines claimed the first edition on home soil back in 2019.