The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) lauded Gilas Pilipinas Women for its historic finish in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Singapore over the weekend.

SBP executive director Erika Dy said getting into the podium is proof that the Philippines can be a serious contender in any tournament given the proper training, preparation and planning.

Dy also acknowledged collegiate and professional squads for lending their players in one of the biggest 3x3 tournaments of the year.

“We’re happy with the progress so far. There will be tough games ahead of us, but we believe our Gilas squads have a shot against any team in the tournament,” Dy said.

“Our teams’ showing here is a big boost to our 2028 Olympics bid. With our stakeholders from the professional and collegiate ranks making their players readily available, along with the hard work of our coaches, we’re seeing immediate results.”

Composed of Afril Bernardino, Kacey Dela Rosa, Mikka Cacho and Cheska Apag, Gilas Women showed that they can compete with the powerhouse teams of Asia.

After dropping a 10-21 loss to Australia in the preliminary round, Gilas Women turned back Tonga, 19-10, to finish second in Pool D and secured a spot in the quarterfinals.

Then, the Philippines defeated Mongolia, 15-12, in the quarterfinal and pulled off a 21-19 upset of Japan to seal a date with the Australians in the gold-medal match.

The Filipinas, however, ran out of steam as they bowed to the Aussies, 9-18, behind the solid all-around performance of Most Valuable Player Kristy Wallace, who campaigns for the Toronto Tempo in the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Bernardino, however, was named as part of the FIBA 3x3 All-Asia Team after scoring a total of 23 points in five games.

Now, the challenge is how to sustain the momentum as Gilas Women are set to return to Singapore for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup Qualifier from 11 to 12 April.

SBP 3x3 program director Ryan Gregorio said their priority now is fortifying the squad with tall players to keep with tougher opponents.

“Our priority was to add height to our teams this year and to focus on ball and player movement. Our teams are getting a lot of positive feedback from 3x3 experts here in Singapore with many of them telling us that our teams are a joy to watch,” said Gregorio, who oversees the program of the Filipina cagers who are grouped with Brazil and Singapore in Group B for one of the three slots for the World Cup in Poland in June. IVAN SUING