Edmonton impress in the 3x3 Penang Challenger
Places in the Mexico City Masters were up for grabs in the latest 3x3 Challenger tournament in Penang - and Edmonton were looking to win one of them, following on from their previous success at the Nanjing Challenger.
The Albertan team, led by Steve Sir, got off to a good start with a 21-15 win over Den Haag in Pool A, but they were saving their most astonishing result for the end of the day.
In the last game of the pool, Edmonton faced defending world tour champions Novi Sad, but in the game itself Edmonton played the superior defence and offence. With Jermaine Bucknor racking up the points on the inside, and Sir doing the same outside, they scored a famous victory over Novi Sad by 21 points to 18.
Edmonton's two victories saw them top Pool A, and on day two were to face Moscow in the quarter-finals. Moscow had earned their spot in the knockout stage after a 17-14 win over Ljubljana. However they proved no problem for the Canadians, who dispatched them by a scoreline of 21-13.
Their semi-final matchup proved a tougher contest, as their opponents, Gagarin, had so far gone undefeated in Penang. This was reflected in the final scoreline - Edmonton prevailed 21-20, and set up a meeting in the final with familiar foes: Novi Sad.
The Serbian team had not spent long licking their wounds after their defeat the day before: first beating Liman 21-19 in the quarter-finals, then making their way to the final after a seven-point win over Tokyo.
In the final itself, Edmonton tried to keep up with Novi Sad, who came out of the gates firing. Marko Zdero and Marko Savic were perfect from close range, while Dejan Majstorovic proved deadly beyond the line.
Jermaine Bucknor tried his best to try and salvage the game for Edmonton, but there was nothing they could do to alter their fourtunes. Novi Sad won both the game, 21 points to 17, as well as Penang Challenger title honours.
Despite the loss, Edmonton won a spot in the Mexico City Masters tournament, and will take to the courts in the Mexican capital on July 6th.
For more on this tournament, the World Tour and the Challengers, head over to the official 3x3 World Tour website.
