Uratex Dream makes big things happen in the Big Apple despite the bridesmaid's finish against Tokyo Verdy in the Red Bull Half Court World Final, surpassing their previous quarterfinal exit.
Filipino 3x3 team Uratex Dream made a Cinderella run to the finals before falling short of winning it all as they took the runner-up finish in the Red Bull Half Court World Final at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York on early Monday, Manila time.
Kaye Pingol, Afril Bernardino, Sam Harada, and Eunique Chan finished just behind eventual champions Tokyo Verdy of Japan, 11-8, in the last match of the tournament but still emerged in the Top 2 of the women’s division.
Uratex finished second in pool play with a 3-1 slate after cardiac wins over Not Fast But Furious of Australia, 9-8, and Team SLAM of the US in overtime, 12-10.
While they suffered a setback against Evolve of Kuwait, 15-13, they came back with guns blazing with a 14-9 win over Amigos of Egypt.
After turning heads, they hurdled Prykarpattya of Ukraine, 9-7, in the quarterfinals before squeaking past Belgium’s On Fire, 6-5, in the semis to head into the championship round.
Gilas Pilipinas women mainstay Bernardino spoke about their run.
“Super proud ako sa pinakita nila. The only thing that matters is seeing my teammates’ effort and sacrifice their bodies in the game, that’s already a win for me,” said Bernardino of their runner-up finish in the 10-team field.
Their finish eclipsed the team’s performance last year in Belgrade, Serbia where they made it to the quarterfinals behind Pingol, Harada, Mikka Cacho, and Blanche Bahuyan.
Team owner Peachy Medina bared what the achievement meant for the up-and-coming women’s basketball team.
“We’re very happy with this achievement. It’s a testament to the success of the partnership between our program and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. Malaking bagay na reinvigorated yung programs para sa women’s basketball and it gave us plenty of exposure on the international stage. It’s really the ultimate collaboration.” she said.
On the other side in the men’s division, the Half Court Group, made up of Matt Salem, Chester Saldua, Gryann Mendoza, and Jordan Bartlett, missed out on reaching the playoff in their tournament.