CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Philippine teams Pasig Grindhouse Kings and 1Bataan Risers are through to the playoffs of the Chooks-to-Go 3×3 Asia Pacific Super Quest Saturday at SM Megamall Fashion Hall in Mandaluyong.
Taylor Statham powered the President’s Cup champions to a 21-15 win over Absolute 3×3 of Chinese Taipei as they claimed the top seed in Pool C.
The 6-foot-6, Fil-Am forward was sensational all game long with his 10 points, including two of the final four that put the Taiwanese to rest.
Serbian import Nikola Pavlovic and Joshua Munzon both had four points, as Troy Rike added three to arrange a quarterfinal duel against TSV Reading Cinema of Australia that will take place on Sunday, April 7 at the same venue at 1:00pm.
“Honestly, it’s a testament to who we are as people off the court. We’re all very close,” said Statham. “Nikola has done a great job of coming in and adding into our team and not taking anything away. We all compete hard and we just love playing together, you can see it to how we play.”
On the other hand, 1Bataan showed tremendous resolve in a tough 17-21 defeat to world No. 19 Tokyo Dime.exe of Japan as it settled for second place in Pool B.
Travis Franklin’s 10-point output was no match for the opposition’s hot streak from deep, with top Japanese 3×3 player Tomoya Ochiai firing nine points in the win.
Keita Suzuki also had all of his six points from deep for Tokyo Dime.exe, as the Philippine side got little help from their locals.
The defeat dropped the Risers to 1-1, as they are set for a quarterfinal clash against SSLC of China in a match scheduled at 12:20pm.
On the other hand, Tokyo Dime faces New Zealand’s Aotearoa at 12:00nn.
World no. 15 Ulaanbaatar of Mongolia claimed the top seed in Pool A with a tough 16-14 win over TSV Reading Cinemas of Australia, while Jakarta West Bandits also scored a 21-16 triumph against Absolute 3×3 in the Pool C face off. The two teams will meet each other in the knockout playoffs at 12:00nn.
Zheng Yuqi also buried a long bomb with 1:44 remaining to propel SSLC to the top of Pool D with a 21-18 win over Aotearoa of New Zealand.
That win wasted the gutsy showing of Saigon Aces, which scored a 16-15 shocker over the Chinese crew behind Ryan Monteclaro’s free throw with 4.4 seconds on the clock.
The champion of the Asia Pacific Super Quest will book their ticket to both the FIBA 3X3 World Tour Masters Doha from April 18 to 19 and the Challenger Series in Penang from May 12 to 13. Moreover, it will bring home USD 20,000.
The runners-up will also head to the Doha tournament while pocketing USD 15,000. The third and fourth place finishers will qualify for the Challenger Series in Kunshan from May 18 to 19 with the former also banking USD 7,000 while the latter being rewarded with USD 4,000 for their effort.
The fifth to eighth-placed teams will be given USD 1,000 as consolation.