2018 3x3 World Tour: Saskatoon Masters Review
The 2018 3x3 World Tour got off to a fantastic start with the exciting and unpredictable sights seen at the Saskatoon Masters. If the standard seen here in Saskatchewan continues, this bodes well for 2018 becoming an amazing year for 3x3 basketball.
For those who missed it, here's all the action as it happened from two days of stellar basketball:
Novi Sad got proceedings underway with a 19-14 win over Winnipeg, who later kept up their energy both on offence and defence in their second game, keeping the scores tight and proving trouble for Princeton.
A tip-in from Winnipeg’s Jeleane Pryce with ten seconds to go tied the scores, and overtime was needed. Winnipeg got a point on the board early in sudden death, then Princeton’s Dan Mavraides made a layup in traffic. Price made a no-look inside pass to O’Neil Gordon, who layed it up and in, bringing an end to the game and sealing an amazing win for Winnipeg.
A final routing by Novi Sad, 21-8, saw Princeton out of the Saskatoon Masters, whlie Novi Sad were through as pool winners and Winnipeg as runners-up.
In Pool B, Minnesota proved troublesome first opponents for Liman, the Americans taking an early lead behind some good looks from Jamel Staten. Liman’s strength in the paint gave them back the advantage, and a late outside shot from reigning World Tour MVP Stefan Stojacic would be the difference-maker in this one, as the Serbian team finished on top by one point.
Minnesota then looked in control after five unanswered points towards the end of their second contest against Vitez, but the Bosnians would not let up and made it a two-point game in the final minute. Vitez had two chances to to tie, but both missed, making Minnesota the winners.
Vitez made the most of their last chance at qualification against Liman, but as the game went on that chance slipped further and further away as Liman kept piling on the points on their way to victory, 21-16. Liman advance to the knockout round with Minnesota in tow.
Old Montreal lead Zemun by two with 1:30 to go in the first Pool C matchup, but Liman made their height advantage count, and a layup from Dejan Pejic won them the game with 13 seconds on the clock.
Continuing to play good high-pressure offence, Old Montreal then made Ulaanbaatar fight to keep their lead in game two, then went up by five down the stretch. On two occasions Ulaanbaatar closed the gap to one with a two-pointer, on the first occasion Old Montreal pushed their lead back out to three, and on the second there wasn't enough time for another shot. Old Montreal picked up a crucial one-point win.
In the final pool game, Zemun's physicality and vision were too much for Ulaanbaatar, who dropped out of the competition after the final 17-14 loss to Zemun.
Riga and Montreal were tied for much of the first Pool D game, a shot from Karlis Lasmanis put Riga ahead at a crucial point in the game, but good close-range play from Kevin Loiselle and a two from Tramar Sutherland gave Montreal a two-point buffer they would hold on to, seeing out a huge win for them against one of Europe's top teams.
Canada's top team Saskatoon then took to the court and showed both Montreal and Riga how it's done. Great long-range shooting kept their compatriots Montreal at bay, and they later finished day one with a huge, conclusive win over Riga, 20-12, which also saw the Latvians out of contention.
On day two, Novi Sad and Liman made short work of Old Montreal and Montreal respectively, despite the promise shown by both Canadian teams in the pool stage. Minnesota reduced their arrears after being down 9-3 at the mid-point of their quarter final against Saskatoon, but Saskatoon still emerged the winners by 14 points to 12.
The most drama was to be found in the fourth quarter-final. Zemun led Winnipeg by three with just over three minutes left in the game, but with good inside looks the Winnipegers tied the scores, and with twenty seconds left O’Neil Gordon made the steal and wide-open two, completing the upset of the tournament as Winnipeg advanced to the semi-finals at Zemun’s expense.
What followed was two closely-contested semi finals, the first between Novi Sad and Saskatoon, the other seeing Liman face Winnipeg. A great all-around performance from Steve Sir gave Saskatoon the advantage, but Novi Sad took it back with ten unanswered points and leaving no room for the home side to make a comeback. Meanwhile, Liman played well as a team and surged ahead at the end of their semi final, bringing Winnipeg’s fairy tale to an end and booking their spot in the final.
The standard at the top was evident when the two highest-rated 3x3 teams in the tournament - Novi Sad and Liman - met in the final: there was little to choose between the two teams, though Novi Sad managed to give themselves the lead. A two from Liman's Stefan Stojacic with just over a minute left, making it a one-point game. Dejan Majstorovic responded immediately with a two of his own, and another from close range. This was the push Novi Sad needed to give them
Outside of the main competition, the three-way battle in the Dunk Contest between Doug Anderson, Justin 'Just Fly' Darlington and Michael Lieffers was just as spectacular as all the basketball that proceeded it:
It's not long until the fun returns, as the Utsunomiya Masters is scheduled to get underway in Japan next weekend. Only time will tell if the standard and energy will follow the tournament across continents, but until then be sure to check out the official website of the 2018 3x3 World Tour for updates, news and features.
