NEW addition Paul Desiderio promptly made an impact as Manila Chooks! downed Bayangol Broncos of Mongolia 21-18 Saturday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the FIBA 3í—3 Ulaanbaatar Super Quest at the Royal 3í—3 Lounge in Ub Palace, Mongolia.
Desiderio, a former University of the Philippines star, shone for the Filipino 3×3 cagers with seven points, while CJ Payawal also had seven.
Mac Tallo and Brandon Ramirez also had four and three points, respectively, as the troops of head trainer Chico Lanete forged a Last 8 tiff with world No. 9 Sansar MMC Energy of Mongolia.
Manila Chooks! wound up with a 1-1 mark after the group stage of the FIBA level 8 tourney that offers $15,000 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 Anand Ariunbold.
The 6-foot-5 Ariunbold was named the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Most Spectacular Player last year.
“We’re expecting a difficult game today especially since maglalaro si Anand. Sharpshooter talaga siya and the whole team plays better kapag nasa floor siya,” Lanete said. “Kaya 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.”
