Gilas Women win historic silver, Gilas Men fall short in Asian Beach Games 3×3 

History was written in the sands of Sanya—even if it didn’t end in gold.

Gilas Pilipinas Women 3×3 carved out their best-ever finish in the Asian Beach Games, claiming a silver medal after falling to host China, 21-13, in the finals. 

While the loss closed their title bid, it also underscored a breakthrough performance that pushed Philippine 3×3 basketball to new heights.

The quartet of Mikka Cacho, Tantoy Ferrer, Gabi Bade, and Kaye Pingol came into the tournament as contenders—but left as standard-bearers. Their silver medal surpassed the program’s previous best bronze finish in 2012, signaling a steady rise on the continental stage.

Their campaign was built on control and consistency. Gilas Women swept through pool play, dispatching Indonesia (15-11), Macau (21-9), and Kyrgyzstan (21-15) with authority. They carried that momentum into the knockout rounds, taking down Kazakhstan (16-11) and Singapore (20-13) to book a finals showdown.

But in the championship, they ran into a tall and disciplined China side led by Fengyi Sun, Hengyu Yang, Junwei Cao, and Lili Wang—proving a tough puzzle they couldn’t quite solve.

On the men’s side, the road was far less forgiving.

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𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁

The surge continues for the Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 Women’s Team after capturing a silver medal at the #Sanya2026 Asian Beach Games. pic.twitter.com/Fxa0agNLp2

— Philippine Sports Commission (@psc_gov) April 29, 2026

Gilas Pilipinas Men 3×3 showed flashes of promise but ultimately fell short of the podium, bowing to China, 21-13, in the bronze medal match. 

The team of Nic Cabanero, Jeff Manday, Gelo Crisostomo, and Sean Torculas had earlier proven they could match up with the hosts, even scoring a 21-18 win over them in pool play.

They also picked up a 21-18 victory against Macau, though a 21-14 loss to Iran exposed early cracks. Still, the Filipinos fought their way to the semifinals with an 18-14 win over India, only to be edged out by Thailand, 20-18, in a tightly contested clash that denied them a shot at gold.

In the end, the results told two different stories—but pointed to the same direction.

For Gilas Women, it’s a leap forward and a new benchmark. For Gilas Men, it’s a reminder of how thin the margins are at this level.

Either way, Philippine 3×3 basketball continues to gain ground—one possession, one game, and now, one historic medal at a time.

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