AFTER yielding the floor to Cavitex-led rivals in the latter stage of the six-leg PBA 3×3 Season Conference, TNT reasserted itself and took its familiar place as conference champions.
Sniper Almond Vosotros, no surprise, fired the kill shot in overtime as the No. 2 Tropang Giga sneaked past the top-seeded Braves, 19-17, to complete a hat trick of conference titles Saturday at Robinsons Malabon.
The Tropang Giga saved the best for last and won the biggest prize after struggling in the last three legs. After winning Legs 1 and 3, TNT missed the semis in the fourth, fell to a low ninth in the fifth and bungled a winning title duel with Cavitex for sixth-leg honors.
“We just look glorious being champions from the outside but the conference was really a struggle. We had lots of adversity to go over with but we stayed together,” said TNT coach Mau Belen.
The clincher was tough work as TNT rallied from 17-14 then outsmarted the Braves in extension with a nifty setup by Ping Exciminiano to Mr. Vosotros for the winning corner deuce.
It wasn’t the usual high-scoring outing for Mr. Vosotros, who only netted three points but knocked down the biggest basket of all.
Lervin Flores took the cudgels with seven points, including a pair of layups that helped force the OT, while Samboy de Leon and Mr. Exciminiano chipped in five and four, respectively.
The Braves fell short of a breakthrough crown coming off their Leg 5 and 6 triumphs. They settled for runner-up honors and P250,000.
Meanwhile, J&T Express beats Platinum Karaoke, 20-14, for third place and P100,000. — Olmin Leyba
