Momentum builds through stops, grit, and timely buckets. That was exactly the story for the Gilas Pilipinas women’s 3×3 team, who transformed a shaky opening into a commanding 21-15 victory over Kyrgyzstan to complete a clean sweep of Group C at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya.
The Filipinas found themselves on the back foot early, as defensive miscues allowed Kyrgyzstan to dictate the pace. But instead of unraveling, the team leaned on experience.
Mikka Cacho and Tantoy Ferrer anchored the turnaround, chipping away at the deficit possession by possession. By the time Gabi Bade and Kaye Pingol found their rhythm late in the game, the tide had fully shifted.
“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 if we focus on defense. You know, we can’t underestimate any team. Every team is good. So we just have to come out and battle each game,” Bade said.
Balanced scoring told the story of a team effort wherein Ferrer led the Philippine squad with eight points, Cacho followed with seven, Bade added five, and Pingol chipped in one crucial contribution.
More importantly, the win secured their place in the quarterfinals, where they now await the survivor of the Kazakhstan-Macao play-in clash.
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BASKETBALL 3×3 – The Gilas women have come out dominant in Pool C as they complete a sweep of all three games, running away as 21-15 winners over Kyrgyzstan to punch their ticket to the quarter-finals.
PHI – 21
KGZ – 15#Sanya2026 #BeatTheHeat pic.twitter.com/5rhrAvO3ZN
— Archive (@ArchiveInt) April 27, 2026
While the women thrived on a perfect run, the Gilas men’s 3×3 team carved out a more complicated path to the same destination.
A 14-21 loss to Iran could have derailed their campaign, but earlier results proved enough to keep them on top of Pool A. Locked in a three-way tie with Iran and China, the Filipinos advanced as the No. 1 seed based on total points scored.
Jeff Manday paced the men with eight points in their final outing, while Nic Cabañero added six—numbers that helped preserve their slim edge in the standings.
“We accomplished our goal to top our pool. 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 from day one. I think this is big preparation for us going into the quarterfinals tomorrow,” Coach Patrick Fran said.
For now, the spotlight belongs to the 3×3 squads—especially the women, whose defensive resolve turned early vulnerability into a defining statement. With the knockout stage looming, that identity may prove to be their strongest weapon yet.
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