Rookie team MCFASOLVER eyes an encore in the PBA 3×3 as the penultimate leg of the Second Conference comes off the wraps at the Ayala Mall Fairview Terraces on Monday.
The Tech Centrale finally broke through in Season 3 last week when they ended the TNT stranglehold to claim Leg 4 and win its very first title in the three-a-side meet.
The team of coach Anton Altamirano weathered the might of the top seeded Triple Giga with a stirring 20-18 win in the semifinals, before capping its campaign with another thriller, 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 a back-to-back as they parade the same roster of Andrada, Louie Vigil, Terrence Tumalip, and Brandon Ramirez for Leg 5.
“Magandang momentum ito going sa Leg 5,” said Tumalip of the team’s title run last week worth P100,000.
Meralco meanwhile, 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 emerges as the top seeded team in Pool A together with Cavitex and Blackwater Smooth Razor.
Meralco, San Miguel, Purefoods, and Terrafirma are in Pool B, while in Pool C with Pioneer Elastoseal Katibays are TNT, Barangay Ginebra, and Terrafirma.
At the end of the pool stage, only eight teams will advance in 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 includes Blackwater Smooth Razor, MCFASolver, Purefoods, Barangay Ginebra, and San Miguel.
Northport is currently at the bottom of the standings at 11th place, but remains within striking of the Kings.
