TNT and Barangay Ginebra are in the middle of a heated PBA Commissioner's Cup finals.
But on Monday, four of the members of both teams came together for a 3x3 tournament and became champions.
Carrying the SBP Gilas Boys name, TNT utility staff Allan Apura and Rolly Arguelles, Barangay Ginebra utility staff Richard Marcos, and trainer John Paul Mendoza won the Pilipinas 3x3 Melmac Cup crown after beating Strong Group Athletics, 21-15, in the final at the Gameville Park.
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Apura nailed consecutive two-pointers in the end game to seal the victory to win the P100,000 top prize and four sacks of rice.
The title win by the combined squad of Barangay Ginebra and TNT came the day after the Gin Kings defeated the Tropang Giga, 73-66, to grab a 3-2 lead in the PBA finals.
READ: Ginebra outduels TNT in Game 5 dogfight, moves a win from PBA title
After the title victory, the four players will return to their mother ballclubs in their bid to win a PBA title.
The event was competed in by several stakeholders of Philippine basketball as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is set to revive 3x3 in the country through the help of Mel Macasaquit, who organized similar events back in 2019 in a bid to help the Philippines make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
SBP Gilas Boys swept the competition including three wins in group play against Farm Fresh, 16-10; Smart, 15-13; and SBP Elite, 22-19.
It defeated GMA News, 21-9, in the quarterfinals, and ZUS Coffee, 21-6, in the semifinals.
SBP Elite defeated ZUS Coffee, 21-19, in the battle for third.
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