TNT completed a fight back against Cavitex to pull off a hard-earned 21-17 win and claim another leg championship in the PBA 3×3 on Sunday at Robinsons Place Novaliches.
Almond Vosotros again proved to be the man of the hour for the Tropang Giga, sparking a telling 12-4 run that turned around the finals of Leg 3 in their favor.
The streak shooting guard was like a man possessed, accounting for all of the team’s output during that critical run in a virtual one-man scoring show.
Vosotros, the three-time scoring champion of the standalone tournament, went berserk and put together 12 straight points in a five-minute stretch as TNT wiped out a 13-9 Cavitex lead.
He finished with a game-high 15 points including the game-winning deuce with still 2:40 to play amid a wild celebration from the TNT side led by coach Mau Belen, and players Lervin Flores, Gryann Mendoza, and Rey Mark Acuno.
The latest win was worth P100,000 for the telecommunication franchise as it won its second leg crown this conference. Initially, it claimed Leg 1, but lost Leg 2 to J&T Express last week.
The Tropang Giga also haven’t missed the leg finals this conference, and the last six dating back to the First Conference.
The loss was a sorry one for Cavitex, which controlled the early goings of the match, and led by four before Vosotros suddenly caught fire.
Bong Galanza and rookie Sherwin Concepcion each had five points to show the way for the Braves, who bagged the P50,000 runner-up purse.
Meanwhile, Meralco salvaged some measure of pride by taking third place in its battle against Barangay Ginebra, 17-15.
The podium finish worth P30,000, was the first for the Bolts since Leg 4 of the First Conference where they also copped third place.
It also heralded the comeback of the franchise among the contenders in the halfcourt game after failing to advance in the playoffs the last two legs this conference.
Earlier in the semis, TNT eliminated Meralco, 20-19, while Cavitex clobbered Barangay Ginebra, 21-10, to arrange their finals showdown.
During the quarterfinals, the Tropang Giga downed NorthPort to advance, 21-18, the Bolts edged Platinum Karaoke, 15-14, Cavitex booted out Leg 2 champion J&T Express, 20-18, and the Kings beat Terrafirma 3×3, 18-15.
The Scores:
Third place
Meralco (17) – De Vera 7, Batino 6, Manlangit 3, Gonzaga 1.
Ginebra (15) – Aurin 8, Villamor 4, Gumaru 2, Cu 1.
Finals
TNT (21) – Vosotros 15, Mendoza 3, Flores 2, Acuno 1.
Cavitex (17) – Galanza 5, Concepcion 5, Fajardo 4, Napoles 3.
