Uratex Dream’s path to the championship ran straight through a brick wall as the Philippine club fell to eventual champion Dusseldorf ZOOS in the quarterfinals of the 3x3 Basketball Thailand International League 2024 at Mueang Pathum Thani in Thailand.

The Pinays, bannered by Gilas Pilipinas Women standout Kaye Pingol, together with Sam Harada, Shanda Anies, and Renzhu Li, put up a gallant stand before bowing to ZOOS, 13-8, on Friday, April 5.

Nonetheless, it was a valiant quest for Uratex which finished fourth in Pool B but hurdled Jumpshot of Singapore, 21-12, in the wildcard round to earn its way in the final eight.

Team owner Peachy Medina admitted that the Dream fell short of their target of reaching the semifinals this time, yet could not be proud with how the girls competed against the taller opposition.

“We had a goal of making it to the semis and I am disappointed in losing to the CT Tigers at the last minute. We need to improve our mental toughness especially during closeout or winning time,” she said. “But I am really happy about how we competed against the three taller teams that compete in the FIBA Women's Series.

It really was a challenge like no other, with Uratex facing off against the likes of Lotto 3x3 of Poland, the Azerbaijan 3x3 women’s team which had naturalized player Marcedes Walker, and Dusseldorf ZOOS led by Aoi Katsura and Ama Degbeon.

But like in any setback, the Dream are valuing more of the learnings they gained from this tilt as they look ahead to better showing in their next campaigns.

“It was still a great experience and we relish the opportunity and the learnings playing in this high-level field. It was important for the team to see what it takes to compete at this level and we are now realizing the big gap from them to where we are. Hopefully we will learn how to take our game to the next level,” said Medina.

“We hope to fare better in the next tournaments.”

Uratex now turns its attention to the Red Bull Half Court with Tibay participating in the qualifiers on April 13, while the Dream seek to defend their crown in the finals on April 27.