One Gilas Pilipinas team needed every last possession. The other barely needed to break a sweat.
Both Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 teams reached the Asian Games semifinals in Japan on Thursday, but they took sharply different routes to the medal round, with the men surviving a bruising duel against defending champion Chinese Taipei while the women dispatched Singapore with room to spare.
The men won the knife fight, 21-19, at Kinjo Futo Station Square, dethroning Chinese Taipei and keeping their medal hopes alive.
Koji Buenaflor broke a 19-all deadlock, then Gilas forced the Taiwanese into a pair of two-point attempts before Luis Pablo drove inside to deliver the knockout basket with 15.7 seconds left.
It was hardly pretty. It was effective, which in 3×3 is often the more useful definition of beautiful.
Buenaflor and Pablo provided the finishing touches, while Nic Cabanero and Doy Dungo helped complete the four-man unit that earned a semifinal date with South Korea on Friday.
The women, meanwhile, chose a less stressful route.
Gilas Women overwhelmed Singapore, 22-12, after trailing 7-5 with seven minutes remaining. The Filipinas responded with a 17-5 closing run that turned a close game into a comfortable win.
Kennan Ka led the charge with seven points and nine rebounds, while Amyah Espanol also scored seven and grabbed four boards. Her two-pointer with more than two minutes left effectively put the game beyond Singapore’s reach.
Kacey Dela Rosa added six points and three rebounds as the Philippines marched into the semifinals, where Thailand awaits.
The women’s other semifinal pits Japan against South Korea. In the men’s bracket, Iran faces Qatar.
And because the Asian Games apparently has no interest in giving basketball a day off, all four medal matches are also scheduled Friday.
Meanwhile, the Gilas Women’s 5×5 basketball team bowed out of Asian Games competition after losing to Taipei, 71-83, in the quarterfinals.
