In a thrilling finale, Cavitex broke their long dry spell with a 20-18 victory over first-time finalist Blackwater in the PBA 3×3 Season 3 Third Conference Leg 6 clash at Market! Market! on Tuesday.
Veteran Jorey Napoles played a pivotal role in the Braves’ comeback, contributing the last three points to overturn a 17-18 deficit in the final 1:14.
Napoles, finishing with 13 points, led the charge, with support from Kenneth Ighalo (4), Clint Doliguez (2), and Bong Galanza (1), securing Cavitex’s first championship in 12 legs. Their last triumph came in Legs 4 and 5 of the First Conference.
Despite a modest 1-2 record in Pool C on Monday, coach Kyles Lao’s squad elevated their game in the knockout rounds.
They defeated Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals with a score of 21-17 and then took down back-to-back champions TNT in the semis with a score of 18-16.
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“Eliminations pa lang alam namin 50-50 na makapasok kami. Kaya nung nakapasok, binuhos na namin. Bumalik kami sa sinasabi ni coach na Cavitex brand of basketball,” said Napoles, who also played a big role in shackling Blackwater’s high-scoring gunner Wendell Comboy to just seven points on a 4-of-14 clip.
The Braves’ victory earned them a prize of P100,000 and marked their seventh leg triumph.
While Blackwater fell short of a breakthrough victory, Comboy and his teammates RJ Deles (8), Dariel Bayla (3), and Rey Publico (scoreless) achieved the franchise’s best finish, surpassing their third-place performance in Leg 4 of the season-ending conference.
The dramatic 20-19 comeback win against three-leg ruler Meralco in the semis earned them a P50,000 prize.
Meanwhile, the three-man TNT denied the Bolts a podium finish and a P30,000 prize, securing the bronze with a 21-16 victory.
The Scores
Third place
TNT (21) – Saldua 9, Mendoza 7, Torres 5.
Meralco (16) – Manday 5, Batino 5, Sedurifa 3, Caduyac 3.
Final
Cavitex (20) – Napoles 13, Ighalo 4, Doliguez 2, Galanza 1.
Blackwater (18) – Deles 8, Comboy 7, Bayla 3, Publico 0.
