SINGAPORE SEA GAMES: Gilas Squeaks By Thailand, 80-75!

Look who's catching up. Thailand's Men's Basketball team made Sinag Pilipinas sweat buckets before finally losing steam in the last minute of action, and falling to Sinag by a mere 5 point, 75-80.

How nerve wracking  was it for Sinag?

Until Troy Rosario started a rally in the third quarter, we weren't even sure we'd be able to keep up with the Thais.

Until the oft-forgotten Almond Vosotros hit three after three after three after three in the third quarter, we weren't sure we could overhaul the Thai lead.

And until Kiefer Ravena hit that dagger three with about 10 seconds left, we weren't sure we could keep that lead. That's a lot of "untils".

Analysis:
Here are the three things that became most evident during this game.
One, South East Asian basketball is getting better and they are starting to catch up to us. Thailand's performance tonight was like the Azkals performance from about 2 years ago, when they still couldn't beat the regional powerhouses like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia but they were coming pretty damn close.
Two, Kiefer Ravena is damn good but he's not the only who is. Troy Rosario and Almond Vosotros are just as as deadly as Ravena and they can make any team pay for not paying attention to them (attention PBA teams). That being said, the future looks good for Gilas Pilipinas.
Three, our Gilas cadets acquitted themselves well against Thailand. Forget the scoreline. These are twenty-something collegiate kids (and a hobbled Marcus Douthit) going up against the best professionals Thai basketball can offer. The Gilas cadets showed great strength, fortitude and resolve in this game, a game we should all be proud of.

Congratulations, Sinag Pilipinas.

Video courtesy of Singapore Sports.