Meralco concluded its PBA 3×3 Third Conference campaign on a high note.
The Bolts thwarted TNT Triple Giga’s back-to-back grand slam bid, securing a 21-17 victory in the final grand finals of Season 3 late Monday night at Ayala Malls Glorietta.
Joseph Sedurifa formed an unlikely alliance with JJ Manlangit, accounting for 15 out of the Bolts’ total output to frustrate the Triple Giga from achieving another historic feat.
Sedurifa finished with eight points, and Manlangit contributed seven, compensating for the cold-shooting performance of guard Jeff Manday, who managed only a solitary point on 1-of-7 attempts from the floor.
After TNT forged the game’s final deadlock at 15-all, Sedurifa and Manlangit took charge, unleashing a finishing 6-2 run to deflate the Triple Giga and claim the grand prize of P750,000.
Alfred Batino, the longest-tenured player in the Meralco lineup, added five points, securing Meralco’s first-ever grand finals title in the history of the three-a-side tournament.
(C) PBA Images
“Matagal na kaming sa PBA 3×3, first time namin na-experience ito,” said Batino, the veteran big man of coach Patrick Fran. Meralco defeated TNT in two of three leg championship encounters this season, with this victory being the most gratifying.
Despite emerging as the top-seeded team at the end of the six-leg phase, the Bolts remained underdogs, especially against a TNT side that had won the last six conference grand finals starting in the Third Conference of Season 1 and a sweep of the entire Season 2 last year.
Meralco even seemed ready to exit in the semifinals when trailing Blackwater 17-20, but Sedurifa spurred the Bolts to a 21-20 victory with four straight baskets to end the game.
“Si Lord ang may gawa nito, hindi kami,” said Sedurifa. “Destiny siguro ito sa amin para manalo.”
TNT received P250,000 for finishing runner-up for the first time. Many-time scoring champ Almond Vosotros had a team-high five points for TNT, whose lowest finish ever in the grand finals was third place in the opening conference of Season 1.
Cavitex defeated Blackwater in the battle for third, securing a 22-19 victory and winning P100,000.
The Scores :
Third place
Cavitex (22) – Napoles 11, Doliguez 6, Ighalo 3, Galanza 2.
Blackwater (19) – Comboy 7, Bayla 5, Publico 4, Deles 3.
Finals
Meralco (21) – Sedurifa 8, Manlangit 7, Batino 5, Manday 1.
TNT (17) – Vosotros 5, Exciminiano 4, Mendoza 4, Saldua 4.
