Manila teams West, North enter Fiba 3×3 playoffs
Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Filipinos had plenty to cheer about after both Manila North and Manila West, bannered by PBA standouts, made the quarterfinals of the Fiba 3×3 World Tour Manila Masters.
Using contrasting styles, Manila North, lead by PBA bruisers Calvin Abueva and Vic Manuel, outmuscled the opposition to go 2-0 while Manila West also stayed undefeated in two games by banking on its outside shooting.
“Manila North’s games went down the wire and the team really needed to go through the eye of the needle to make it through,” said Eric Altamirano, who coaches both Manila squads. “I think the West did better today but I expect the quarterfinals to be really tough.”
“The two teams play different. Manila West thrive on their shooting while Manila North relies on effort,” Altamirano added.
Manila West opened the Philippines’ bid with a 21-18 win over Auckland before defeating the young Manila South side, 21-14, in the final game of the elimination round.
Manila North, on the other hand, won both of its games in thrilling fashion. Vic Manuel nailed two free throws to beat Beirut, 20-18, with 7.1 seconds left while Troy Rosario tipped in the game-winning basket to escape Ljubljana of Slovenia, 17-16, with under 10 ticks to go.
Manila South, a team composed of Cebu-based teenagers in Carlo Ortega, Joshua Sinclair, Lucky Ecarma and Jair Igna, bowed out of the tournament after going 0-2.
The playoffs starts on Sunday also at the same venue.
The top two teams in the tournament will earn a spot in the World Tour Final in Abu Dhabi on October 15-16.
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