Oklahoma City (Aug. 22, 2021) — 3Ball Omaha won its fourth 2021 Red Bull 3X Local Qualifier title this past weekend at the Red Bull 3X Oklahoma City qualifier.
A deep and talented set of men’s team was
whittled down to a final four of O’City Cage, 3Ball Omaha, Ball Is Life Midwest and Team Ball Is Life. After the semifinals, the hometown’s O’City Cage and 3BALL Omaha were locked in for a finals dual.
3BALL Omaha was at the top of their game for the finals, ousting O’City Cage in a physical match. After each O’City Cage basket, 3BALL Omaha responded with quick points to maintain its lead and clinch the win with a final score of 19-12.
According to Dylan Travis, 3Ball Omaha’s time spent practicing has paid off. “The key to success today was staying resilient. We’re a shooting team, and because of the wind, we had to pivot and play strong defense and drive the ball inside,” said Travis.
In the women’s bracket, hometown teams from Oklahoma City competed for the top prize in the final. The OKC Hoopers and Hoop Dreams faced off in a best three-of-five games to determine the top 3x3 squad. The two teams exchanged victories to make the series 1-1. Heading into game three, the OKC Hoopers brought the heat, much like the Oklahoma summer sun. Following the lead of star shooter Mia Castaneda, the OKC Hoopers won games four and five to clinch first prize.
Castenda was proud of how her team overcame the heat and came together to secure the victory in her first-ever 3x3 tournament. Mia’s shooting performance gave the OKC Hoopers the advantage in game four to help spur the team to tournament victory. “The gameplay of 3x3 is different, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun,” said Constaneda.
In Red Bull 3X, elite 3x3 players nationwide play for a chance to earn FIBA points on their own path to greatness. Accumulating points can help the best male and female players competing at Red Bull 3X Local Qualifiers to be evaluated for further competitions on behalf of USA Basketball.
3x3 is played on a half court with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock, where the winner is the first team to score 21 points or the team in the lead at the end of regulation. The bursts of action and short games leave little room for error, and teams that catch fire become very hard to handle with the court space 3x3 allows players.
The winning teams at all this season’s qualifiers advance to the 2021 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Regionals in the fall, and potentially to the 2022 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals, which are one part of the talent pool from which the USA Basketball 3x3 men’s and women’s national teams are comprised.
Registration for every event remains open till tipoff for anyone who wants their shot at being USA Basketball’s next star. For more information, please visit www.redbull.com/3X.
RED BULL 3X (Oklahoma City)
MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
1. 3 BALL OMAHA – Dylan Travis, Trey Bardsley, Trey Lansman, Harold Ridgeway
2. O’City Cage – Denarius Darby, David GodBold, Charles Ramsdell, Micheal Mccowan, Donald RunnelsWOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
1. OKC Hoopers – Mia Castaneda, Niocha Hishaw, Shana Bent, Mina Iyaye
2. Hoop Dreams – Sammiyah Abdullah, Marjorie Bigpond, Rachel Cutts, Taylor Hooks |
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