NEW addition Paul Desiderio promptly made an impact as Manila Chooks! downed Bayangol Broncos of Mongolia, 21-18, late Saturday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the FIBA 3×3 Ulaanbaatar Super Quest at the Royal 3×3 Lounge in Ub Palace, Mongolia.
Desiderio, a former University of the Philippines star, shone for the Filipinos seven points, with CJ Payawal also chipping in seven points.
The Philippines’ No. 1 3×3 player Mac Tallo and Brandon Ramirez had four and three points, respectively, as the troops of head trainer Chico Lanete forged a quarterfinals duel with fancied world No. 9 Sansar MMC Energy of Mongolia Sunday afternoon.
Manila Chooks! wound up with a 1-1 card after the group stage of the FIBA level 8 tournament that offers $15,000 prize money for the champion, $10,000 for the runner-up and $5,000 for the third placer.
Their sights now trained on hurdling a tough task, Lanete admitted he expects his players to have their hands full against a powerhouse Mongolian quartet bannered by gunner, 6-foot-5 Anand Ariunbold, who was named FIBA 3×3 World Tour Most Spectacular Player last year.
“We’re expecting a difficult game today especially against Anand [Ariunbold]. He’s a sharpshooter and the whole team plays better if he’s on the floor,” Lanete said. “We need to focus on defending him better or possibly denying him the ball. We’ll make the necessary adjustments and be ready for the game.”
“Our potential as a team revealed itself in our two games,” Tallo said. “But we all know we can do better and be consistent.”
The top two teams will book slots to the World Tour Manila Masters next month. Fans can watch the games live on Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas’ Facebook page and the YouTube channel of FIBA 3×3.