Manila: The Philippine men's 3x3 wheelchair team has advanced to the semifinals after a successful start, winning their first two games at the 13th ASEAN Para Games held at Hall 1 of Terminal 21 Korat, Thailand.
According to Philippines News Agency, team captain Kenneth Tapia, along with teammates Alfie Caba±og, Jannil Ca±ete, and Fel Lander Dawal, led the Pilipinas Warriors to a dominant opening 20-3 victory against Indonesia. Tapia emerged as the top scorer with nine points. In the second game, Caba±og took the lead by scoring seven points, guiding the team to an 11-7 win over Malaysia.
Coach Vernon Perea expressed optimism that the team's decisive victory over Indonesia would pave the way for a successful campaign. "In the first match, we had Alfie and Kenneth running the game very smoothly so iniwan lang natin (we dominated). We got the chance to finish it early kasi (because) we were expecting a close match against Malaysia," Perea commented. "Luckily, we came out as the winners."
The team was preparing to face host Thailand to determine the top seed at the time of reporting.
On the other hand, the women's 3x3 wheelchair basketball team is facing a challenging situation, having lost their first two games - 2-14 against Thailand and 5-8 against Laos. Women's team coach Harry Solanoy emphasized the need for a strong performance, stating, "Ang kailangan, talunin namin ng by four points ang Laos kung matalo sila ng Thailand," as the worst-performing team in the tournament will not receive a bronze medal.
