KAOHSIUNG CITY (Taiwan) - There is a new champ on the pro circuit after Kanazawa (JPN) stunned the field to take out the FIBA 3x3 Kaohsiung City Challenger.
Here is what happened in the 17th Challenger of the season on October 4-5. The winner: Kanazawa (JPN) They were: No.1 highlights
What a debut for Kanazawa! The Japanese team entered as a major underdog as gleaned by their seeding of ninth in a 16-team field containing red-hot Miami (USA) and legendary Liman (SRB). But Kanazawa were inspired in a giant-killing run for the ages, with their unbeaten campaign starting with a monumental upset over Miami.
After sweeping Day One, Kanazawa weren't just merely content making it into the knockouts. Having had a triple-five against Miami, Devin Gilligan added another in the quarters against Tokyo DIME EXE (JPN) before Kanazawa played exceptional defense to stifle Liman in the semis.
With Jevonnie Scott on a heat check, their confidence was through the roof as they cruised past Taipei WanBao (TPE) in the final as an exciting new team put themselves on the 3x3 map.
The runner-up: Taipei WanBao (TPE)
In an event that was turned upside down, fittingly, Taipei WanBao made a dazzling run as the seventh seed.
They made an opening statement with an upset over Liman and their momentum spilled over into Day Two, where Peter Ivanovic had a massive 10 points and 8 highlights as Taipei edged Los Angeles (USA) in a tense quarter-final.
They continued to torment Americans after completing a major upset of top seed Miami with a 22-17 victory on the back of Ivanovic and Dorde Simeunovic combining for 17 points.
Taipei couldn't quite go all the way, but they are clearly a team on the rise in a superb follow up after a semi-final run at the Manila Challenger.
The Final: Kanazawa 21-Taipei WanBao 14
This was the final no one expected, but a breath of fresh air between two teams desperate for a first title. As he had done all event, Ivanovic was in attack mode and he banked off the glass to get Taipei off to a fast start.
But Gilligan went on a personal scoring spree and a 5-1 run put Kanazawa into the lead. Ivanovic tried to keep his side in it, but Kanazawa's firepower proved too much as they found the radar from deep.
Simeunovic kept Taipei alive with a couple of buckets, but it was in vain as Ryoichi Dewa caught fire to seal a first title for the Japanese team.
The reward: Three tickets to WT Abu Dhabi Kanazawa, Taipei WanBao and Miami received tickets for WT Abu Dhabi on October 25-26. Final Standings: 1. Kanazawa (JPN) 2. Taipei WanBao (TPE) 3. Miami (USA) 4. Liman (SRB) 5. Kandava Turiba (LAT) Top Scorers: 1. Dorde Simeunovic (Taipei WanBao, TPE) 37 pts 2. Jevonnie Scott (Kanazawa, JPN) 37 pts 3. Petar Ivanovic (Taipei WanBao, TPE) 36 pts 4. Devin Gilligan (Kanazawa, JPN) 33 pts 5. Nemanja Zigon (Liman, SRB) 31 pts Key Stats: - Miami star Dylan Travis had 12 points and 7 highlights in his team's thrilling pool win over Podebrady (CZE). - Red-hot Rihards Kuksiks threw up 10 points and 9 rebounds in Kandava Turiba's (LAT) pool win over Utrecht (NED). - The epic pool game between Tokyo DIME EXE and Shinagawa CITY EXE (JPN) was the shortest game of the tournament, lasting just 6'02" in playing time.
FIBA