MANILA — In a decisive victory at Ayala Malls Glorietta on Monday, Blackwater seized the opportunity created by TNT’s manpower issues, clinching the leading position in Pool A as they head into the quarterfinals of Leg 1 PBA 3×3 Season 3 Third Conference.

The Smooth Razor dominated Terrafirma with a score of 20-13, and fueled by Wendell Comboy’s impressive 17-point performance, they went on to rout the depleted Triple Giga with a final score of 22-7.

Despite the absence of Almond Vosotros and Ping Exciminiano due to illness, Gryann Mendoza, Matt Salem, and Chester Saldua showcased resilience for TNT, securing the second spot in Pool A with a 1-1 record. They advanced by capitalizing on their morning victory against Dyip (21-19) to claim the second and final ticket to Tuesday’s knockout rounds.

In other pools, Cavitex secured the third seed with a perfect 3-0 sweep in Pool C, while MCFASolver went 2-of-2 in Pool B, leading the quarterfinalists from their respective brackets.

Pool C’s top-seeded Braves swept aside San Miguel Beer (21-11), Barangay Ginebra (21-13), and Pioneer Elastoseal (21-17), claiming the top spot. Meanwhile, Gin Kings (1-1) and Katibays (1-1) also progressed, setting the stage for a duel to dispute the No. 2 spot at the end of pool play on Tuesday.

In Pool B, unbeaten MCFASolver (2-0), Meralco (2-1), and Purefoods (1-1) secured the three-quarters spots, while NorthPort (0-3) faced elimination.

As Tech Centrale and the Titans conclude pool play on Tuesday, anticipation rises for the competition to heat up later in the day as teams vie for Leg 1 honors and the coveted P100,000 winner’s prize.

(ai/mnm)

CAVITEX ended a string of third-place finishes in the PBA 3×3 First Conference Season 3 as it denied TNT a repeat, 21-17, to clinch the Leg 4 championship Tuesday at the Ayala Mall Circuit.

Jorey Napoles made up for a woeful semifinal showing by scoring eight points to lead the Braves to a rousing win worth P100,000.

He scored Cavitex’s final point win still a minute left to play and clinch the team’s first title this conference.

Dominick Fajardo added five, including a jumper that moved the Braves on the hill, while Bong Galanza and Kenneth Ighalo had four each to round out the scoring for the 3×3 team of NLEX, coached by Kyles Lao.

Prior to the win, Cavitex finished third in each of the first three legs of the new season.

Big man Lervin Flores showed the way for TNT with seven points and five rebounds. The Triple Giga, winner of last week’s Leg 3, took home the runner-up purse of P50,000.

Meanwhile, Alfred Batino and Joseph Sedurifa turned out to be a two-man wrecking crew for Meralco, which nipped guest team Wilcon Depot, 21-20, to claim third place worth P30,000.

Batino finished with 12 points and Sedurifa added eight as the Bolts denied Wilcon Depot a first-ever podium finish.

On the way to the top, Cavitex nipped Northport in the quarterfinals, 21-16, and then survived Meralco in the semifinals, 17-15, for a place in the title match.

TNT on the other hand, whipped San Miguel in the quarterfinals and edged out Wilcon in overtime, 22-20, in the Final Four for a shot at a second straight crown opposite the Braves.

The scores
For Third place
Meralco (21) – Batino 12, Sedurifa 8, Santos 1, Caduyac 0.
Wilcon Depot (20) – Andrada 6, Banal 5, Vigil 5, Tumalip 4.
Finals
Cavitex (21) – Napoles 8, Fajardo 5, Galanza 4, Ighalo 4.
TNT (17) – Flores 7, Vosotros 6, Exciminiano 2, De Leon 2.

(ai/mnm)