2019 3x3 Saskatoon Masters: Full Recap
Basketball took centre stage in central Canada at this year's edition of the Saskatoon Masters, the first of two 2019 3x3 World Tour stops in Canada, and one of the most popular of the year's tournaments.
Four Canadian teams - Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Old Montreal - were part of the field of twelve teams which also included some of the world's best 3x3 sides. A home victory was going to be a big ask, but crowds still turned out in droves to cheer on the native teams.
Edmonton were the first to take to the court, and got off to a great start by defeating fellow Pool B team Amsterdam 20 points to 11, with captain Steve Sir leading with nine points in the contest. In the same pool, Winnipeg fared less well against the Dutch team, losing by a single point.
Meeting Edmonton in the final pool game, Winnipeg were scorched by Kyle Landry's close-range shooting, and the top-ranked Canadian side were firmly in control in this one, winning by the eventual margin of 21-13. Edmonton top Pool B, with Amsterdam qualifying for day two in second place, and Winnipeg were out.
In Pool C, Old Montreal had no answer for Piran in their first game on day one, the Slovenian side on fire from beyond the arc as they ran out victors by ten points.
Old Montreal fared better in their second game against Vbras, with Vincent Dufort leading the offensive charge. Strahinja Stojacic's eleven points kept Vbras at a comfortable distance, and with the final score 21-17 in their favour, they dumped Old Montreal out of contention.
Canada's most experienced 3x3 team and the one based in the host city, Saskatoon, first found themselves in a tightly contested game in Pool A against Liman. Michael Linklater lead the offence for the home side, but Stefan Kojic was unstoppable from long distance, lifting Liman to their second victory of the day, 22-18.
Saskatoon had one last chance to make it to the knockout round in their final pool game against Kranj. The teams were evenly matched at the start, but the Slovenian team went in front by six at the half-way point. Saskatoon played high-energy basketball to get back into the game, and took a two-point lead with just under 2:30 remaining. Kranj played smart and drew fouls to overturn the deficit and end the game ahead 16 points to 14.
Saskatoon's campaign came to an end, as did the 3x3 career of Michael Linklater, as he made this his last appearance on the tour.
Edmonton were the only Canadian team left on day two, where they faced San Francisco in the quarter-finals. San Francisco had finished second in Pool D after a two-point win over Princeton, but lost out to pool winners Zemun 22-14.
In the knockout game, Kyle Landry continued his close-range dominance from the day before, but was matched by his counterpart Josh Sharma on San Francisco's possessions. Even with Landy's production, San Francisco were rampaging from close range and saw top defence from Frankie Ferrari. They finished the game 20-15 ahead, qualifying for the semi-finals at Edmonton's expense.
The semi-finals would be as far as San Francisco would go, though, as they were dispatched 21-19 by Piran, who claimed their spot in the grand final. Elsewhere, pool runners-up Vrbas and Amsterdam both won their quarter finals against Liman and Zemun respectively, and after a one-point victory over Amsterdam in the semi-finals, it would be Vrbas who would challenge Piran for the Saskatoon Masters title.
Through the combination of Anze Srebvot's close-range play and Adin Kavgic's accuracy from the two-point line, Piran overpowered Vrbas in the final, and ran out to a comfortable victory 21-14, claiming their first title of this year's 3x3 World Tour.
Though they saw less minutes, Kyle Landry and Michael Linklater were among the top scorers in Saskatoon, with respective points-per-game averages of 7.3 and 6.5. They also finished in the top defensive players, alongside Saskatoon's Troy Gottselig.
For more information and full details from all games in Saskatoon, visit the official 3x3 World Tour website.
Picture: FIBA.com
