PBA IMAGES
ANTIPOLO – TNT asserted its mastery in the PBA 3×3 Third Conference by claiming a second straight leg championship Sunday at Ynares Center here.
The Tropang Giga leaned on another fiery shooting from Almond Vosotros and the valuable contributions of Samboy De Leon, Lervin Flores, and Ping Exciminiano to overpower first-time finalists Terrafirma Dyip, 21-15, and rule Leg 4 of the standalone tournament.
It was the third leg crown this conference for TNT, which also ran away with the title in the opening leg.
Only Meralco managed to break into TNT’s dominance by winning Leg 2.
TNT likewise became only the second team to win back-to-back leg championships after Limitless App during the first conference.
“Hats off to my players. I couldn’t emphasize that enough because three championships in four legs,” said winning coach Mau Belen. “Really, everyone just wants to win.”
The Tropang Giga won the top purse of P100,000, bringing their total prize pot to P300,000 for the conference alone.
Vosotros finished with nine points and had six rebounds, De Leon with five including the deuce that clinched the championship, while Flores and Exciminiano accounted for the rest of TNT’s output.
TNT ironically lost its first game in pool play against Barangay Ginebra, 21-15, but bounced back with two straight wins over Master Sardines (22-12), and Pioneer Pro Tibay (21-14) to advance to the knockout stage.
The Tropang Giga then took their game a notch higher in the playoffs by outplaying Meralco in the quarterfinals, 21-14, and later eliminated San Miguel in the semis, 16-10, to reach the championship round.
Terrafirma took the runner-up honor worth P50,000 for the team’s best finish in the half-court game.
The Dyip edged Cavitex in the quarterfinals, 22-20, and went on to survive Limitless App in a closely-fought semis, 21-17, to arrange the finals showdown with the Tropang Giga.
San Miguel downed Limitless App, 21-17, to take home P30,000 in the battle for third place.
The Scores:
Third place
SMB (21) – Comboy 9, Bono 6, Manday 6, Gotladera 0.
Limitless App (17) – Pascual 7, Tamsi 6, Salva 3, Camacho 1
Finals
TNT (21) – Vosotros 9, De Leon 5, Flores 5, Exciminiano 2.
Terrafirma (15) – Alanes 6, Taladua 4, Cachuela 3, Bulawan 2.