Jorey Napoles celebrates after Cavitex won the final leg of the PBA 3×3 Season 3 Third Conference.–PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–Jorey Napoles flourished down the stretch as Cavitex held off Blackwater, 20-18, to rule the sixth and final leg of the PBA 3×3 Season 3 Third Conference Tuesday night at Ayala Malls Market Market in Taguig.
With the Braves down by one with only 74 seconds left, Napoles took matters into his own hands and scored his team’s final three points.
Cavitex clinched its first leg title this conference and took home P100,000.
“We showed the NLEX brand of basketball,” Napoles said in Filipino.
Napoles, the former 3×3 national team member, hit back-to-back layups to put Cavitex ahead before sinking a free throw to cap his performance.
Kenneth Ighalo added four points for the Braves.
Cavitex barely made it to the knockout stage as it struggled during the group phase and had to wait until the outcome of the MCFASolver-Purefoods knockout match, which was won by the Titans won, before it was assured of a quarterfinals berth.
But the Braves were a different team come the playoffs where they booted out Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals, 21-17, before eliminating Leg 5 champion TNT in the semis, 18-16.
TNT finished third after defeating Meralco, 21-16.
The scores
Third place
TNT (21) – -Saldua 9, Mendoza 7, Torres 5.
Meralco (16) – Manday 5, Batino 5, Sedurifa 3, Caduyac 3.
Finals
Cavitex (20) – Napoles 13, Ighalo 4, Doliguez 2, Galanza 1.
Blackwater (18) – Deles 8, Comboy 7, Bayla 3, Publico 0.