FILIPINO teams earned the top seeds after Day One of the Doha Masters in the 2019 Fiba 3x3 World Tour, but the intensity gets kicked up a notch with the knockout playoffs set on Friday at Katara Amphitheatre in Doha.
The road gets tougher from here for both Pasig Chooks and Balanga Chooks as they brace for top-ranked 3x3 sides in the quarterfinals in their quest to prove that they belong among the heavyweights.
Pasig Chooks will take on world No. 3 Riga Ghetto of Latvia at 9:45 p.m., while Balanga Chooks brace for a battle against world No. 1 Liman of Serbia at 11:15 p.m.
The two Philippine teams showed the country's fabled heart in squeaking out gritty wins in pool play.
Joshua Munzon led Pasig Chooks past host Katara, 21-14, before Taylor Statham played the hero's role when it stunned Liman of Serbia, 19-16, to rule Pool A.
Meanwhile, Travis Franklin powered Balanga Chooks to a 19-17 shocker over Riga Ghetto before Alvin Pasaol drained the game-winner in its 20-19 overtime triumph over 15th-ranked Moscow Inanomo of Russia to claim the top seed in Pool C.
Surprising as the result was, it was a step in the right direction in the eyes of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 commissioner Eric Altamirano.
"Our teams showed the world what we have been doing for the last three months," he said, with Pasig Chooks and Balanga Chooks showcasing the fruits of their labor to the world after their performances in the President's Cup and the Asia Pacific Super Quest.
"Even we are surprised with the performance of both our teams. But now that we are in the quarterfinals, I challenged the boys to continue the momentum and show the world that Philippine 3x3 basketball is here to stay in the World Tour," league owner Ronald Mascarinas said.
Pool D leader Piran of Slovenia will take on Asia Pacific Super Quest champion Tokyo Dime at 10:15 p.m., while three-time World Tour kings Novi Sad of Serbia face off against Slovenian rival Ljubljana at 10:40 p.m. in the other quarterfinal pairings.
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