MANILA – Limitless Appmasters clinched the crown in the PBA 3×3’s first conference via an 18-16 triumph over Platinum Karaoke in the finals on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser tallied seven points, four rebounds and two blocks. Reymar Caduyac added five markers, including a crucial layup in the endgame.
Ganuelas-Rosser, Caduyac, Jorey Napoles, and Marvin Hayes, who carried the fight for Phoenix Super LPG in the standalone half-court hoopfest, earned P750,000 for this feat.
“It always feels good when your hard work pays off. We worked very hard to get this and we did it three times in a row. It’s unprecedented so I’m just so proud of everybody here,” said Ganuelas-Rosser.
The Appmasters opened the championship match with a 14-7 lead but Platinum Karaoke responded with a strong rally to tie the score at 16-all on an outside hit by Karl Dehesa.
Limitless regained a 17-16 upperhand on a split free throw by Napoles before Caduyac added to the advantage with a layup in the final minutes. Chris de Chavez tried to force an overtime for Platinum Karaoke but his heave from the deep missed its mark.
De Chavez, who top scored in the finale with six points, Dehesa, JR Alabanza, and Yutien Andrada of Platinum Karaoke settled for runner-up honors with P250,000 cash prize.
On their way to the championship match, the Appmasters defeated leg 1 champions TNT Tropang Giga, 21-16, while Platinum Karaoke clobbered Terrafirma Dyip, 21-10, in the other semis.
Meanwhile, Tropang Giga’s Almond Vosotros, Lervin Flores, Samboy de Leon, and Chris Javier settled for a bronze medal finish following a 22-14 triumph over Dyip in the third place game.
Vosotros, who drilled 12 markers for the Tropang Giga in the third place match, was later hailed as the PBA 3×3 Scoring Champion after collecting 293 points across the maiden tournament’s seven legs./PN
