Gemma Miranda, a member of last year’s 3 x 3 World Cup squad, spearheaded her team’s 21-19 triumph over Janine Pontejo and co. in the finals of the SBP 3 x 3 women’s competition Leg 1 sponsored by SMART at the Meralco Gym on Saturday.
Miranda and her squad raced to a 4-1 record in the single-round eliminations, then outlasted Pontejo and her team in the finals to become the champion of the tournament organized by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to allow the Philippine women’s team to garner ranking points in quest of a possible Olympic berth.
The event, according to Patrick Aquino, head coach of Gilas Pilipinas women’s team, should be done more often to kick up our world ranking.
“It’s participated in by the country’s top 100 women players,” Aquino said. “So far, we’re ranked No. 25,” said Gilas Pilipinas women’s team coach Patrick Aquino. “But we can catch up with Canada should we continue holding tournaments like this one.”
Aside from Miranda and Pontejos, two members of the Philippine women’s quartet that saw action in last year’s 3 x 3 World Cup, other players invited to play were Afril Bernardino, Jack Animam and another comebacking player, Bea Daez, among others.
These players are also included in the Gilas Pilipinas women’s national team seeing action in the pre-Olympic qualifying event to be held in New Zealand less than a month from now as well as the coming Southeast Asian Games basketball competitions to be held in the country form late November to second week of December.
By holding this tournament, the country will boost its world ranking and an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 points will be added to the Philippines, so each team was required to get at least 21 points every game to kick up our stats line.
SBP special assistant to the president Ryan Gregorio and Aquino awarded the cash prize to the winning squad.
