Philippine men’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball secures semifinals spot

THE Philippines came through with contrasting results in 3×3 wheelchair basketball as it officially set in motion its campaign in the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Korat, Thailand on Monday.

The men’s team of Kenneth Tapia, Alfie Cabañog, Janni Cañete and Fel Lander hurdled its first two assignments in Indonesia, 20-3, and Malaysia, 11-7, at the Hall 1 of Terminal 21 to secure a spot in the semis and a shot at a medal, possibly gold.

The Filipinos were clashing with the fancied Thais as of this writing in a duel that would determine the final seeding in the next phase.

“In the first match, we had Alfie and Kenneth running the game very smoothly. We got the chance to finish it early because we’re expecting a close match against Malaysia,” said head coach Vernon Perea.

“Luckily, we came out as the winners.”

In contrast, the Filipinas dropped their first two outings, the first against the Thais, 14-2, and the other versus the Laotians, 8-5.

Despite the early setbacks, the squad still has a chance to claim a medal if they could beat Laos by at least four points in their second meeting.

Since the field has only three participants in the category, national women’s mentor Harry Solanoy said only the top two get medals.

The country is hoping to strike gold not just in basketball but in other disciplines as well including chess, athletics, swimming and powerlifting where it scooped up all its 33 golds in the last edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia three years ago. — Joey Villar