PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Gilas Pilipinas aims to reclaim the men’s basketball gold in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games when it plays host Cambodia on Sunday at the Morodok Techo Elephant Hall 2.
After losing the gold to Indonesia last year in Hanoi, Gilas Pilipinas gets the crack at redemption in their 3 p.m. (4 p.m., Manila time) game against Cambodia.
See Late night practice fuels Gilas' gutsy semis win vs Indonesia
“We came here to win the gold,” said Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes. “We thought it would be against Indonesia. But in a competition, anything can happen. As it turns out, it has to be against Cambodia. We have to do what we have to do.”
The task will be a tough one as they once again play a fancied Cambodian team that has six naturalized players in the lineup. Gilas Pilipinas lost to Cambodia, 79-68, in a highly-emotional game in pool play just three days ago.
Darrin Dorsey had 22 points in the game for Cambodia against Gilas in their first encounter.
In the semifinal match, Cambodia defeated Thailand, 76-66, with Dorsey scoring 13 points and nailing three threes. Brandon Peterson had 24 points for Cambodia.
Gilas Pilipinas will enter the gold medal round with a morale-boosting 84-76 win over Indonesia in the semifinals after falling behind by 11 points.
“We all know from the first round that Cambodia is the team to beat. Look at their line-up. They are big. They have six Americans who are tall and athletic. They are deep. We all know that. We also knew that if we get a chance at Cambodia again, we have to get by Indonesia,” said Reyes.
“Again, 50 percent of the job is done. But the toughest 50 percent remains. To give ourselves a chance to win, first we have to get there,” said Reyes.
Justin Brownlee came alive when he had 34 points, nine rebounds, and five assists to lead Gilas to the semifinal victory.
Gilas needs the best form from Brownlee, who struggled with the heat in the first game against Cambodia.
“We all know his game. The important thing now is we are able to keep him fresh and hopefully, his body is acclimatizing to not only the heat but the denseness of the air. ‘Yun ‘yung hindi nakakahinga. Hopefully, that continues until [the gold medal game]. We need him at his best,” said Reyes.
“As much as we love to celebrate, we can’t because we have another big one,” he added.
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