Perlas Pilipinas wary of teams from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand in SEA Games gold bid

PERLAS PILIPINAS reigned the SEABA Women’s Championship last year, beating the best teams in the region, but come this year’s Southeast Asian Games, the country’s cagebelles are expected to encounter stiffer competitions from our rivals which built massive build up in time for the biennial meet.

Head coach Patrick Aquino told BusinessWorld that host and defending champion Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, three formidable teams standing in the way of the Filipinas’ quest to win the first ever women’s basketball gold in the competition, had undergone different ways in boosting their chances.

Malaysia, for example, is determined to defend its title. The team which was defeated by the Philippines in the SEA Games two years ago in Singapore and again in last year’s SEABA Tournament, arranged a mini- tournament a few months in preparation for the biennial meet.

“They arranged a pocket tournament participated by China and several European teams. They’re really serious in defending the crown and win in front of their hometown cheering crowd,” added Mr. Aquino.

Indonesia, one of the teams which defeated the Blackwater-backed Perlas Pilipinas in the SEA Games in 2015, went to the United States for training while Thailand is reportedly fielding in back its veteran players.

Despite the challenges they’ll be facing, Aquino and the rest of the Perlas Pilipinas team is determined to achieve history. No other women’s basketball team has won the gold medal in the SEA Games and this year’s team has the best chance of winning it.

“I like our chances. This is probably our best chance to win the gold medal,” added Mr. Aquino.

Mr. Aquino will count on his mainstays led by his best scorers Alfril Bernardino, Allana Lim and Camille Sambile, who were key figures in last year’s successful SEABA campaign. Joining the three are the holdovers Analyn Almazan, Raiza Dy, Cindy Resultay, Ara Abaca, Jack Danielle Animam, Chuck Cabinbin, Janine Pontejos, Andrea Tongco and comebacking center Clare Castro.

How time flew by so fast. Two years ago, the program just started and the team didn’t make it to the medal round.

But since then, Perlas Pilipinas made a huge turnaround as the team was able to vault its way back to the Level 1 of the FIBA Asia Women’s Championship and last year, the Filipinas were able to claim the gold medal in the SEABA Tournament.

A few months ago, the team’s improvement was given recognition by no less by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which handed our women’s basketball team a bronze certificate of honor. —