MANILA Chooks TM won't progress to the main draw of the 2021 Fiba 3x3 World Tour Doha Masters after splitting its assignments in the qualifying pool Friday at Al Gharafa Sports Complex in Qatar.
Despite Chico Lanete's heroics in a 21-20 win in overtime over Doha, the Filipinos were weighed down by an earlier loss to Graz, losing 22-17.
To make the main draw, Manila actually needed a miracle from Doha, but the Qataris were schooled by their Austrian counterparts, 21-5.
The win allowed Graz to advance to the main draw and book the last ticket in Pool D, where American teams world No. 4 NY Harlem and world No. 5 Princeton await.
Manila, with a 1-1 card, finished 13th out of 14 teams in the contest - the worst finish by a Filipino team in a Masters tournament..
Odds were already stacked against the Philippine club in the leadup to this tourney, with Lanete, Mac Tallo, Dennis Santos, and Zachy Huang bannering this new-look squad that got relegated to 14th seed as a result.
The previous worst for a PH team came in the 2020 Doha Masters when Manila Chooks TM, then still bannered by Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, Santi Santillan, and Troy Rike, finished 11th after losing in the group stages to world No. 1 Liman and a taller Qatari side Lusail.
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