Manila Chooks’ hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals of the Chooks-to-Go FIBA 3×3 World Tour Manila Masters were dashed as they stumbled in both of their pool stage matches on Saturday at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.
In their first game, Manila Chooks suffered a setback against the top-seeded Ub Huishan NE, losing by a wide margin of 9-21. Ub dominated early on, establishing a commanding 15-2 lead and swiftly eliminating Manila Chooks in just five minutes and six seconds.
Despite the initial disappointment, Manila Chooks had a promising opportunity to recover in their second Pool A encounter against Utsonomiya Brex EXE. They managed to take a 14-12 lead, raising hopes of a turnaround. However, foul trouble plagued Manila Chooks, ultimately allowing Utsonomiya to secure a 22-18 victory.
Both Ub and Utsonomiya secured berths in the playoffs on Sunday, with Ub claiming the top seed after a thrilling comeback win of 21-20 sandwiched between the Manila Chooks’ games.
