Pasig Chooks could not take advantage of a big lead against Netherland’s The Hague late, picking up a 20-18 win but failing to move to the next stage of the 2019 Xiongan Challenger, Friday evening.
Though all three squads in Pool C ended up with a 1-1 record, the Philippine-based club team could not advance to the next stage due to total points scored.
Beijing, who defeated Pasig earlier in the day 22-14, had 38 points to lead the pack. The Hague, who defeated Beijing 18-16, accumulated 36 points – two points higher than Pasig’s total.
Still, Pasig almost booked the last ticket to the quarterfinals.
Behind Nikola Pavlovic, Troy Rike, and Dylan Ababou, Pasig led 19-12 with 2:25 left. The Filipinos then tried to end things quickly, launching deuces but missing.
The Hague took advantage, as Kasper Averink, Julian Jaring, and big man Bas Rozendaal bulldozed their way to the paint, going on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to one.
A Rike basket with 38 seconds left extended Pasig’s lead to two. Though they got stops in the endgame, when Pasig tried to go for 22 points, their shots could not find the hole.
Pasig may have won, but the Dutch were the ones to get lucky.
Pavlovic led Pasig with eight points built on six deuces. Joshua Munzon added five points while Rike and Ababou added four and three markers respectively.
Rozendaal, who stands 7-foot, had nine points to lead the way for The Hague.
Up next for Pasig Chooks is the 2019 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 Magiting Cup, which opens its curtains on September 1 at the SM Clark Events Center.
Pasig will also be part of the Manila Challenger, a qualifier for the Jeddah Masters. The country’s first-ever Challenger tournament takes place from September 7-8 at the SM Fairview Events Center.
The Scores:
Pasig 20 – Pavlovic 8, Munzon 5, Ababou 4, Rike 3.
The Hague 18 – Rozendaal 9, Averink 6, Jaring 3, Witteveen 0.
