European squads Croatia and Poland made it known that they both mean business in their trip to the Philippines as they emerged as the early leaders in the FIBA 3X3 World Cup 2018, Friday at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
The Croatians dominated their first two games, earning a 22-7 victory over Jordan first before following it up with another masterful showing over Nigeria, 22-8. The Croatians, ranked 24th in the world, are now on top of Pool D with a 2-0 card.
Poland, on the other hand, sits atop Pool B also with a 2-0 slate. The team registered its first win over the Slovenians, 21-17, then later made the game look like a warm-up, as it tore apart Indonesia afterwards, 22-6.
Poland’s Michael Hicks finished as the top scorer of the opener with 18 points.
Other squads who have won their first two assignments in the World Cup opener are Latvia and Estonia, who are in second in Pool D and Pool B respectively. The two countries are included in the world’s top 20.
Teams that carry a 1-1 card after the first day of the showpiece are Slovenia and Ukraine. Slovenia got its victory at the expense of Japan, 22-14, while the Ukranians won over Nigeria, 22-11, after bowing to Latvia, 18-21.
Japan, Jordan, Nigeria, and Indonesia all sport 0-2 records, with the Indonesians having the lowest score after the opening day, as they only have 16 points.
Pools A and C, which includes host Gilas Pilipinas 3×3, will be the ones to see action tomorrow, Saturday, June 9, on the second day of the annual showpiece presented by SMART along with Chooks-to-Go.
