Sanya: Both the Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 men and women teams reached the quarterfinals of the cage tourneys that somehow soothed the pain of the Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball squads' exit as the Philippines stayed in third place overall Monday in the 6th Asian Beach Games. At press time Monday, the official medal tally showed the Philippines in the third spot with three gold, two silver, and two bronze in the 45-nation continental showcase.
According to Philippines News Agency, host China still tops the standings with 14 gold, 11 silver, and four bronze medals, followed by Thailand with four gold, five silver, and three bronze medals. Team Philippines' campaign in this resort city is supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee under its President Abraham 'Bambol' Tolentino and the Philippine Sports Commission led by Chairman Patrick 'Pato' Gregorio. The three gold medals were courtesy of jiu-jitsu's Annie Ramirez and Alexandria Luz Enriquez and high jump standout Leonard Grospe as the Games returned after a 10-year hiatus.
The Philippines will host the 2028 edition of the ABG in Cebu. The two silver medals came from jiu-jitsu competitor Emily Thomas and the women's relay team of Jessica Rose Laurance, Kristina Marie Knott, Lianne Diana Pama, and Shane Poince, with the two bronze medals won by Laurance in the 60-meter dash and Kaila Napolis in jiu-jitsu, respectively.
The men's quartet lost to Iran, 14-21, to end its Pool A bid but still advanced to the quarterfinals at the Sanya Sports Centre Gymnasium. Despite the first loss of the competition, the Gilas 3x3 men finished with a 2-1 record in a three-team tie with Iran and China, emerging as No. 1 in their group via the total accumulated points. 'We accomplished our goal to top our pool. Just to be honest, the boys deserved to be here. They worked hard, and this is a blessing for us because of the hard work we put in on the first day,' Gilas 3x3 men coach Patrick Fran said. 'I think this is a big preparation for us going into the quarterfinal tomorrow,' he added. Jeff Manday fired eight points for the team while Nic Caba±ero added six. Gilas 3x3 men's opponent in the quarterfinals will be known on Tuesday.
The women's 3x3 side shrugged off a slow start to complete a sweep of Group C, defeating Kyrgyzstan, 21-15, and securing a quarterfinal spot. The Gilas women battled back from an early deficit when their lax defense helped Kyrgyzstan gain the lead early. Fortunately, 3x3 veterans Mikka Cacho and Tantoy Ferrer combined to slowly chip at the lead, with Gabi Bade and Kaye Pingol also making key baskets down the stretch against the winless Kyrgyzstan squad. 'Defense. Defense is going to be the key to helping us win all of these games. We just had to stay focused on defense because our shots will come, will go through if we focus on defense,' Bade said. 'You know, we can't underestimate any team. You know, every team is good. So we just got to come out and battle and fight each game.' Bade finished with five markers as Ferrer led the cavalry with eight points. Cacho had seven points while Pingol was limited to just one point. Gilas Women await their quarterfinal opponent, which will be the winner of the play-in ma tch between Kazakhstan and Macao.
Over at the Tianya Haijiao Venue Cluster, Sunny Villapando and Grydelle Matibag fell to the Japanese duo of sisters Ren and Non Matsumoto, 10-21, 13-21 in the quarterfinals. The Pinay pair of Khylem Progella and Sofiah Pagara also dropped a 17-21, 15-21 setback to Thailand's Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee and Taravadee Naraphonapat also in the Last Eight.
In teqball, the Philippine men's doubles tandem of Prince Agustin and Anel Pacis Jr. bowed out of contention after back-to-back defeats at the Sanya Bay Yuhai Club. The duo first dropped its opener to powerhouse Lebanon, 6-12, 7-12, before absorbing another straight-sets loss to Laos, 9-12, 9-12. Despite taking early leads in both sets, the Filipinos failed to sustain their momentum as the Laotian side mounted late surges to seal the win and deny them a quarterfinal berth. In mixed doubles action, Precious Tabucol and Klyde Polca also groped for form, absorbing a 1-12, 2-12 loss to host China in the preliminary round. The Philippine pair's campaign came to an end after another defeat to Cambodia, 04-12, 3-12, officially closing Team Philippines' teqball run in the tournament.
