THE Zamboanga Valientes again made noise in Australia, trouncing the Clippers, 21-12, in the final on Saturday night to rule the CLB 3x3 in Bendigo City and become the first Philippine team to win in the Champions League Basketball.
It was the second straight title for Christopher Concepcion, Eric Miraflores, Duwom Dawan and Adam Kempton, who topped the 3x3 Christmas Street Hustle in Canberra.
While the Valientes overpowered the local side, they barely survived the South Sudan team in the semifinals.
Trailing with three seconds to go, Zamboanga managed to force overtime at 17-17 on a Dawan conversion from a drop pass by Miraflores.
Team skipper Concepcion, pride of Tumaga, Zamboanga City, then took over by drilling in a jumper from deep for the 19-17 victory.
Training tirelessly even during the Christmas and New Year breaks under coach and team-co-owner Junnie Navarro, the Valientes dumped Formosa, composed of players from Chinese Taipei, 21-5, in the opener then swept Group B with a 12-5 victory over the Australia-based Barbers Boys.
The Clippers, South Sudan and Australia Ginger made up Group A.
"We are dedicating this victory to Zamboanga and Zamboanguenos all over the world," said Navarro, a player of the Zamboanga team which topped the first NBA 3x3 competition in the Philippines. "We proved we can excel against foreign competition in 3x3."
Michael Venezuela, co-owner of Zamboanga Valientes MLV, said he is proud of the players' character and resiliency, showing they're worthy of their Valientes (Brave) moniker.
The Zamboanga Valientes, backed by Smart, Chooks-to-Go and MLV Accounting, have also received an invitation to compete in New Zealand this year and are inclined to accept the offer.
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