The Philippines' quest to score another sweep in the basketball competitions in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games begins Friday when the Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 squads compete at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Limitless App team that won the crown in the PBA 3x3 first conference will be tested starting at 11 a.m. (12 noon Manila time) by Cambodia, followed by games against Thailand at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Manila time), and Indonesia at 4:20 p.m. (5:20 p.m. Manila time).

The Limitless squad, composed of Brandon Rosser, Marvin Hayes, Jorey Napoles and Raymar Caduyac, will try to duplicate the gold medal-winning feat of CJ Perez, Mo Tautuaa, Jason Perkins and Chris Newsome in the 2019 edition of the SEA Games in the Philippines.

• SEA Games: Gilas completes golden double in 3x3 basketball

The Gilas 3x3 women’s squad, meanwhile, squares off with Cambodia at 12 noon (1 p.m. Manila time), Vietnam at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. Manila time), and Thailand at 5:20 p.m. (6:20 p.m. Manila time).

The women’s 3x3 team is composed of Janine Pontejos, Clare Castro, Afril Bernardino and newcomer Angelica Marie Surada.

The Philippines swept the 3x3 tournament in 2019, with the men’s team beating Indonesia and the women’s squad outlasting Thailand in the finals.

But the two coaches who oversaw the training admitted that defending the titles will be more difficult.

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“Nag-revamp lahat ng countries. They also have players from other countries. They do the same thing as the Philippines,” said men’s coach Willie Wilson.

“I think they are prepared to defend the crown. About the other teams, nag-prepare sila, especially Vietnam. I expect stiff competition from them,” said women’s coach Pat Aquino.

The preliminary round will continue on Saturday with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals, and the winners advancing to the gold medal match.

Action in regular basketball gets going on March 16, with the Gilas Pilipinas men’s and women’s squads primed to retain the crowns they won in 2019, both against Thailand in the finals.