THE Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 took home the championship in the Jakarta 3x3 International Invitational Challenge 2019 after they edged hosts Indonesia, 21-17, on Saturday night, November 9, 2019.
The team featured Cebuano Leonard Santillan, who was joined on the squad by Alvin Pasaol, Joshua Munzon and Troy Rike.
According to Chooks-to-Go 3x3 program director Eric Altamirano, the result was a positive step forward in their preparation for the 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).
"Unang-una, inaalay natin ito sa ating mga kababayan (First and foremost, we dedicate our win to the Filipinos). It's for them," said Altamirano about the team's five-game sweep of this tournament hosted by Indonesian federation PERBASI as part of their Southeast Asian Games prep.
"Secondly, we are preparing for the OQT. This is a good tournament to start. I'm really proud of the boys."
In the finale, Indonesia gave the Philippines everything it got as the game was tied at 17-all with 3:17 remaining. However, Munzon and Pasaol canned crucial baskets to power the Philippines to the victory.
Munzon, the top 3x3 player of the country, powered his way to the paint for the go-ahead bucket. On the other end, he was able to force an Indonesian player to the outside for a stop.
Though Munzon missed on a tough layup in the next possession, Pasaol was able to score on a putback plus the harm. With Indonesia already having seven fouls, the former University of the East Red Warrior was awarded two free throws. Pasaol knocked down both free throws with 2:58 left, the latter serving as championship point.
Pasaol tallied a game-high 10 points while Munzon finished with seven.
Santillan, a product of the University of the Visayas, chipped in three points while Troy Rike had one.
Chooks 3x3 began the day with a quick 21-10 (6:08) win over world no. 40 Chinese-Taipei. They would then defeat SEA Games-bound squads Malaysia (21-17 - 7:04), Indonesia (21-13 - 9:13), and Vietnam (19-14) to sweep the elims.