MCFASolver survived a late San Miguel rally to claim the Leg 2 title of the PBA 3x3 Third Conference.
The Tech Centrale used a telling 6-1 run to put some separation between them and the Beermen in a tightly-fought finale at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay on Tuesday - then watched as Pao Javelona missed a potential game-tying deuce to prevail, 19-17.
It was a win worth P100,000 for the guest team, which followed up its runner-up finish against Meralco in the Leg 1 final held before 2023 came to an end.
Brandon Ramirez won his match-up with fellow big Ken Bono, finishing with a game-high nine points, while Louie Vigil added seven, with Yutien Andrada and Terrence Tumalip accounting for the rest of the Tech Centrale’s output.
Coach Anton Altamirano steered MCFASolver to its second leg crown this season since topping the fourth leg of the Second Conference.
Upsets galore
Upsets marred the quarterfinals that saw Leg 1 winner Meralco lose to Blackwater, 22-20, and TNT being ambushed by Cavitex, 20-16.
But San Miguel bundled out Blackwater in the semis, 21-16, and MCFASolver did the same to Cavitex, 21-19, to set up the unlikely title duel.
Javelona finished with six points to pace the Beermen, who battled their way back from a five-point deficit to threaten at 18-17 with seven seconds remaining.
They even had a shot at sending the game into overtime as Vigil missed the second of his two free throws, leaving MCFASolver with a two-point lead.
But Javelona couldn’t convert his game-tying deuce, allowing the Tech Centrale to secure the championship.
In the battle for third place, Tonino Gonzaga fired 10 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field to power Cavitex past a hard-fighting Blackwater side, 20-19.
The Braves won P30,000.
The scores
Third place
Cavitex (20) – Gonzaga 10, Napoles 5, Ighalo 5, Paniamogan 0.
Blackwater (19) – Publico 6, Deles 6, Comboy 4, Bienes 3.
Finals
MCFASolver (19) – Ramirez 9, Vigil 7, Tumalip 2, Andrada 1.
San Miguel (17) – Javelona 6, Apacible 4, Sarao 4, Bono 3.
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