For the second year in a row, Auckland team CB3.0 have emerged victorious from the Youthtown 3×3 Quest Tour Final, held yesterday at Auckland’s Eventfinda Stadium.
After going unbeaten in pool play, CB3.0 dispatched SCAM 21-18 in the semi-finals to earn a place in the final against Lincoln Blue – who had previously won the Christchurch leg of the tour.
The final game saw Lincoln Blue coming strong out of the gate, building up a 16-8 advantage early. However CB3.0 would turn things around thanks to their strong defence, preventing the opposition from scoring again while going on a 13-0 run to win 21-16.
CB3.0’s Chris McIntosh says that it was a tough game against a worthy opponent.
“Obviously at one point we were down 16-8, we started really slow while they came out with a lot of energy and we really struggled to match that,” says McIntosh.
“But after a long day we dug really deep and ended up getting the win which is great. Our defence probably played a big part in the win too; we finally played some defence in the last couple of minutes, they didn’t score after 16 points which was an amazing effort for us.”
By winning the Final, CB3.0 – made up of McIntosh, Denhym Brooke, Ben Castle and Zachary Easthope – will now travel to Philippines at the end of next month to participate in the Manila leg of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour, which McIntosh says was a key motivation for his team.
“At the end of the day, that’s the main reason why all of us in the team do it, because of the opportunity to go overseas to play basketball, that’s the dream goal and all the boys are super keen for it. We’re all good mates too so it’ll be a pretty cool experience.”
BBNZ GM Events, David Huxford congratulated the winners of the final.
“Congratulations to CB3.0 for pulling out the well-deserved win, in a very entertaining final,” says Huxford.
“Their reward is being able to represent Aotearoa on the world stage at the FIBA 3×3 World Tour in Manila next month, which I know they’re excited for.”
Huxford says that overall it has been a very successful Quest Tour, which further signals the growth of 3×3 as both a sport and an entertainment spectacle.
“We’re really pleased with how the Youthtown 3×3 Quest Tour has gone this year, especially while dealing with the red and orange settings under Covid; we’ve seen some great talent unearthed and a high quality of games both across the country and in yesterday’s final.
“A big thanks to everyone involved in this event, including Youthtown, Mai FM and all the volunteers and supporters who helped make this tour a success.
“For us this is further proof that 3×3 is growing in popularity at a phenomenal rate, and there’s plenty more to watch this year with the 3×3 Tall Blacks and 3×3 Tall Ferns heading to both the 3×3 World Cup [June in Belgium] and Commonwealth Games [Jul-Aug in Birmingham].”
Mcintosh and Brooke now turn their attention to the NBL season starting next week, with Denhym suiting up for the Franklin Bulls while Chris appears for new team on the block, the Auckland Tuatara.
Catch a replay of the Final on Sky Sport Next: www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4nMlLVQL9E
Youthtown 3×3 Quest Tour Final: CB3.0 v Lincoln Blue, 21- 18
CB3.0: Denhym Brooke, Ben Castle, Zachary Easthope, Chris McIntosh
LINCOLN BLUE: Benji Freeman, Karesse Lavery, Quinn Lavery, Tanae Lavery
