Shot at gold or worst SEAG finish?

PHNOM PENH – Gilas Pilipinas better be at their sharpest under the most difficult conditions of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games or else suffer a more embarrassing finish than last time.

The Nationals continue their redemption drive from that numbing, unacceptable-to-most silver in Vietnam as they return to the linoleum surface of the Morodok Techo Elephant Hall 2 today in a can’t-lose semifinal game.

The opponent of the Group A No. 2 Filipinos in the 5 p.m. (6 p.m. Manila time) Final Four won’t be known until 2021 conqueror Indonesia and an equally tough Thailand have settled their fight for top seeding over in Group B. The Timnas and the Thais were slated to play last night.

Either way, it will be a tough matchup for the Chot Reyes-coached team, which is dealing with the slippery court and other off-court issues like lack of quality training venues on the side.

The Timnas are parading three naturalized players in Lester Prosper, Anthony Beane and Dame Diagne in a bid to retain the crown they famously snatched from Gilas last year.

Thai-Americans Tyler Lamb, Moises Morgan, Frederick Lee Jones Lish, Antonio Price Soonthornchote, and Jakongmee Morgan, meanwhile, lead Thailand’s ambitious rise-to-the-top mission.

Gilas goes into the semis as the No. 2 team in Group A on its 2-1 record, yielding the top seeding to a naturalized player-laden Cambodia, which went undefeated in three games.

Meanwhile, as Indonesia clinched the women’s basketball gold medal, the Gilas belles stepped forth in a bid to take the next highest prize.

Indonesia smothered Singapore, 86-39, to complete a 6-0 sweep of the tournament while back-to-back champion Gilas improved to 4-1 with an 82-70 drubbing of Thailand.

But Malaysia is also at 4-1.

The silver medal will be at stake as the Filipinas and the Malaysians close out their Cambodia SEAG stints against each other.

Gilas bowed to Indonesia, 89-68, for a foiled three-peat bid with 13-time champion Malaysia also going down in defeat to the Indonesians, 85-57. — John Bryan Ulanday