Uratex Dream in the Red Bull Half Court World Final in Belgrade, Serbia. Handout photo.
Uratex Dream bucked the odds and made it to the quarterfinals of the Red Bull Half Court World Final in Belgrade, Serbia over the weekend.
The Filipinas eventually succumbed to Australia, 9-5, in the knockout phase early Sunday morning (Manila time), but they have reason to be proud of their achievement.
"Happy kami na naipakita namin na kaya naming makipagsabayan dito. Lumaban kami hanggang dulo," said Kaye Pingol, who teamed up with Mikka Cacho, Sam Harada, and Blanche Bahuyan in this campaign.
The Filipinas opened their campaign with a tough 17-8 setback against eventual champion Egypt on Saturday, but bounced back with a close 7-6 victory over Italy. They then demolished Kuwait, 21-7, and Sri Lanka, 18-7, to finish second in Group A with a 3-1 win-loss slate.
"I asked the girls to represent the Philippines well and I’m glad they did with their gritty performances and excellent display of sportsmanship," said team owner Peachy Medina.
"Seeing the level of the other teams makes us aspire more for women's basketball in the Philippines. We’d like to reach that level and we hope that our girls, with this incredible experience tucked under their belt, would do their share in helping achieve that," she added.
After competing in the world stage, Uratex Dream is now setting its sights on the WMovement’s Second 3x3 Elite Invitational Tournament as part of its preparations for the second staging of the Manila Hustle 3x3 in February next year.
The group is also planning more basketball clinics and outreach efforts for the remainder of the year.
In the men's side, TNT Triple GIGA reached the last 16, where they absorbed a 17-16 loss to the Dominican Republic.
The unit of Lervin Flores, Gryann Mendoza, Tonino Gonzaga, and Chester Saldua lost to Italy, 14-13, before rebounding with a pair of thrillers against Kenya, 10-9, and North Macedonia, 17-16, to place second in Group A.
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