THE Chooks-Pilipinas 3×3 Team tried to hold its ground against taller opponents but grit and determination weren’t enough to topple the powerhouse squads in the International Basketball Federation 3×3 World Cup on Wednesday in Nantes, France.
The national team ended its campaign with two wins and two losses to miss the group round-robin stage. Second-seed Slovenia and host France advanced to the next round with four and three wins, respectively.
The team of Kobe Paras, Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng and JR Quiñahan absorbed a 14-21 beating from Slovenia but pounced on El Salvador, 21-14.
Ravena led the Philippines with seven points against the more experienced Slovenians, who led by as many as 10 points. Paras added four points.
Against El Salvador, the Filipinos showed grit to win their last assignment with Ravena and Teng scoring seven points each.
Earlier in the competition, the national team downed Romania, 21-15, but fell to France, 11-22.
Top seed Serbia meets fellow powerhouse US, France battles Ukraine, Slovenia clashes with Qatar and Russia tackles the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
Ravena was the Philippines’s top scorer with 23 points in four games.
Image credits: fiba.com