Manila West joins North in Fiba 3×3 quarterfinals

Manila West battled through complacency to beat Manila South, 21-14, and enter the quarterfinal round of the Fiba 3×3 World Tour Manila Masters on Saturday night at Robinson’s Place Manila.

Rey Guevarra closed out Manila South with under 30 seconds to go but it was a game that Manila West would’ve finished sooner had the team not taken its young opponents lightly.

“We talked about not letting our guards down but we weren’t able to avoid not to relax,” said Manila West guard Terrence Romeo.

Romeo and company were up against the youngest team in the tournament which was composed of teenagers based in Cebu.

Jair Igna, Carlo Ortega, Joshua Sinclair and Lucky Ecarma played at the best of their abilities against their “idols” in the PBA.

Sinclair, the youngest in the team at 17, scored the bulk of Manila South’s points.

Manila West couldn’t shake Manila South loose in the first five minutes of the game and it wasn’t until Romeo and Guevarra decided to exert more effort that the game was put out of reach.

“The kids are really good. They’re the future of basketball,” Romeo said.

Manila West’s entry to the quarterfinals came just moments after Manila North, which is composed of Calvin Abueva, Troy Rosario, Vic Manuel and Karl Dehesa, also booked a slot in the playoffs after slipping by Ljubljana of Slovenia.

The quarterfinal round starts on Sunday also at the same venue with both Manila teams poised to face each other in the semifinals if they advance.