Limitless failed to defend its title in Wednesday’s second conference of the PBA’s 3X3 tournaments. Still, it did little to undermine the club’s confidence heading into next month’s Southeast Asian Games.
“The Philippines are the defending champions, and it is our responsibility to carry that torch there. “We are defending the championship,” Appmasters captain Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser stated. Read more.
“We don’t want to lose,” he continued, “but an eye-opener is acceptable.”
Limitless, the conference’s inaugural champion to pick by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to represent the country at the biannual meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, which begins May 12.
The Appmasters had been playing with composure throughout the middle presentation, looking well-deserving of the gig that would immortalize the outstanding efforts of Mo Tautuaa, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, and Jason Perkins in Manila back in 2019.
However, a crushing loss to eventual conference champion Pioneer brought Limitless to a halt.
“It’s discouraging,” Rosser admitted. “Following the (fire emergency that resulted in a) delay at Araneta, we had an additional week to prepare.” And we had an excellent week of preparation. It’s surprising that we came out here and didn’t perform at our best.”
“Taking the conference as a whole, we finished as the conference’s top seed. Apart from that, we were the most dominant and consistent squad (from Leg 6). In each leg, we advanced to at least the semi-finals. As I previously stated, we’ve been practicing well, and today was not our day.”
Limitless has been monitoring the SEA Games competition.
Rosser stated that the Appmasters closely examined the Asean Basketball League’s 3X3 Challenge Cup, which featured several players who will compete in Hanoi.
“Platinum represented the Philippines in that event, which we had the opportunity to watch. And, yes, there are a lot of different sizes and a lot of experience over there. But I believe we stack up rather well against any team in the region,” he said.
The Philippines swept the 2019 edition of the event but faced stiff competition from Indonesia and this year’s host country Vietnam.
However, if there is one thing that will adequately prepare Limitless for a more challenging field. Rosser believes it is this setback.
“A bitter taste in our mouths [but] want to reclaim the greatness we once had,” Rosser explained. “Today was not our day, but we are excited for the SEA Games.”
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