London 3x3 edged out in Manila

London 3x3 fell just short of escaping the pool stages as they suffered a narrow 21-20 defeat to a talented Singapore side.

After a difficult opening game against World Tour leaders Liman, there was still everything to play for in London’s final Pool A matchup against wildcard side Singapore. The Singapore roster arrived with youth and relative inexperience, lacking the physical size of London, but they quickly proved they would be no easy opponent. London started brightly, repeatedly feeding Ashley Hamilton inside as he powered the team into an early lead with a free throw, an easy finish in the paint, and then a steal and emphatic dunk as he completely controlled the opening exchanges. Hamilton then threw down a posterising dunk to cap off his scoring run, with London racing into an early

three-point lead and firmly taking hold of the momentum.

Singapore soon responded through Aufa Emil, as both sides briefly became reliant on individual scoring bursts offensively. Jamell Anderson got himself on the scoresheet with a sharp cut and easy finish, while Khalfani Hill added a tough turnaround midrange jumper that rattled home. London’s game plan was clear from the outset, to use their physicality and size advantage to dominate inside. Singapore, however, stayed within touching distance through crafty finishes at the rim and a timely fading two-pointer that kept the pressure on London.

That pattern continued throughout the closing stages as London leaned on their strength and interior presence, while Singapore countered with pace and agility. The game remained close right to the finish and delivered plenty of drama, with missed free throws from both sides opening the door repeatedly. Hamilton came up with a huge chasedown block off the glass to keep London alive late on, but Singapore ultimately edged over the line with a decisive free throw that ended London’s hopes of a playoff run.

London can now turn their attention towards preparation for the Brasilia Challenger, while taking plenty of positives from an encouraging final performance in Manila.