CAN rookie squad MCFASolver prove its title triumph last week was no fluke?
The Tech Centrale hope so when they launch their bid today in Leg 5 of the PBA 3×3 Season 3 Second Conference at the Ayala Malls Fairview Terraces.
The team finally hit pay dirt when it ended powerhouse TNT’s reign and bagged its maiden crown in the three-a-side meet.
The quartet of coach Anton Altamirano weathered the might of the top-seeded Triple Giga with a gripping 20-18 win in the semifinals, before capping their campaign with a thriller anew 21-20 against Meralco in the finals behind the game-winning free throws of big man Yutien Andrada.
Now the Tech Centrale will gun for back-to-back crowns as they parade the same roster of Andrada, Louie Vigil, Terrence Tumalip, and Brandon Ramirez.
“Magandang momentum ito going sa Leg 5,” Tumalip said of the team’s title run last week worth P100,000.
Meralco inserted big man Alfred Batino in its lineup after opting for a small ball last week.
Batino will team up with Jeff Manday, Joseph Sedurifa, and Red Cachuela as the Bolts continue to chase a Leg crown with two weeks to go before the conference grand finals.
As last week’s winner, MCFASolver emerged as the top-seeded team in Pool A together with Cavitex and Blackwater.
Meralco, San Miguel, Purefoods, and Terrafirma are in Pool B, while in Pool C with Pioneer Elastoseal are TNT, Ginebra, and Terrafirma.
At the end of the pool stage, only eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals where they will dispute the total prize money worth P180,000, including the P100,000 purse going to the champion.
Opening hostilities at 10:30 a.m. is the clash between San Miguel and Meralco.
Going into the final two weeks of the six-week Leg stops, TNT continues to show the way in the race for the 10-team grand finals along with Cavitex at No. 2 followed by Meralco, Pioneer Elastoseal, and Terrafirma.
The rest include Blackwater, MCFASolver, Purefoods, Ginebra, and San Miguel.
