2021 3x3 Montreal Masters - Full Recap of Day Two

Eight teams were back in action in Montreal as the latest tournament on the 3x3 World Tour and produced quality basketball throughout the day as each gave their all to be the latest to capture the crown in Canada.

Two of the three Canadian teams had made it through to the knockout round, but both Edmonton and Winnipeg would be facing tough opposition and a stacked bracket in the medal round. Should neither of them go all the way, the local crowds still had plenty of top 3x3 talent to take in.

Day two began with a thriller: Amsterdam were a point away from victory and five clear of Riga, but the Latvians turned up the pressure with five points in just under a minute, levelling the scores. It fell to Julian Jaring to make the floating jump shot in traffic that shocked the crowds and knocked out the Olympic gold medalists.

This was followed by a more comfortable victory for Antwerp, who saw off Lausanne 22 points to 13 to set up a semi-final tie with the Dutch team. After that it was time for the first Canadian contingent to take to the court, as Edmonton went up against one of the highest-rated 3x3 teams, Ub.

Adika Peter McNeilly put the first points on the board and Steve Sir followed suit to add to Edmonton's early lead. Ross Bekkering and Alex Johnson also added to the home team's score line but Edmonton were having to fight to hold on to their lead.

Sir and Johnson put their team back in front when Ub tied the scores, but Milos Milovanovic and Marko Brankovic were about to sink the dagger: after the lifted the Serbian team in front, Strahinja Stojacic put up two successive outside shots, making the lead out of reach for the Canadians. Sir bowed out of his last home tournament leading his team's scoring, but it was the end of the road for Edmonton.

The last hope for home interest was now Winnipeg, whose quarter final was a wild encounter with Princeton, who went in front early on with four points unanswered. Kurtis Koenig levelled the scores for the Canadian team and Wyatt Anders put the Winnipeggers ahead 5-4 after three minutes played.

Winnipeg were suddenly looking at a huge advantage after sinking six two-point shots in a row. It was looking precarious for Princeton, but they fought back making good from all distances and after putting up three points in the last thirty seconds of regulation - as well as the good fortune of Winnpeg's chances coming up short - they had earned a reprieve.

The game went to overtime, where Kareem Maddox put Princeton within a point of victory, which was followed by the decisive moment of the game: a foul on Zahir Carrington. He went to the line and converted the first free-throw, all that was needed to seal Princeton's semi-final spot and knock Winnipeg out of the Montreal Masters.

While there were no more Canadian teams in contention, the Montreal Masters continued with the four best teams in a clash to stand about all else at the weekend's conclusion. Winnipeg's Paris Kyles had the top scoring average of any player, 8.3 points per game, but it was all about the final results. In the first semi-final Amsterdam made short work of their fellow Benelux outfit, steamrolling past Antwerp 21-12 to become the first finalist.

The Ub-Princeton tie was a much different story: the Serbian side had to fight back after the Americans went six points in front at the mid-point of the game. A seven-point run from Ub put them up by one, which prompted Kareem Maddox to put Princeton within two points of victory, but it was Ub who made that final push. Their last four points of the game, all coming from Marko Brankovic, put them up 20-19 at the final buzzer.

Ub had survived their toughest test yet and they and Amsterdam were the two teams left to battle for supremacy in Montreal. In the final Strahinja Stojacic became the go-to scorer for the Serbian side, hitting shots from all distances, finished with a game-high 12 points. Amsterdam gave their all to try and keep themselves in contention, but in the end greater stamina and skill prevailed.

With a 6-2 run within ninety seconds, Ub ended the game early and justly celebrated their second straight 3x3 World Tour victory. There's still more stops on the tour ahead of the grand final in December, we'll be covering every action from Canadian teams while more can be found about the World Tour over on the official FIBA 3x3 website.

Picture Credit: Fiba3x3.com