Meralco ended a string of frustration as it finally bagged a leg title in the Philippine Basketball Association 3×3 Tuesday at the Ayala Malls Glorietta.
Behind a balanced scoring, the Bolts nipped guest team MCFASolver, 15-13, to claim the opener of Season 3 Third Conference for its first championship in almost a season.
The last time the team of coach Patrick Fran emerged champion came in the third leg of Season 2 First Conference.
From there, the franchise would finish leg runner up twice this season and came close to knocking out TNT from its lofty perch in the Second Conference grand finals only to lose in overtime, 21-19.
But Alfred Batino and Jeff Manday made sure the title won’t slip away from the grip of the Bolts this time as they finished with five points each to carry the team past the upset-conscious Tech Centrale.
Trailing 4-5 early on, Meralco went on a 9-3 run to reverse the tide in its favor and take a five-point lead which it never relinquished.
Reymar Caduyac and Joseph Sedurifa accounted for the five other points of the Bolts, who grabbed the champion’s purse of P100,000.
Last conference’s scoring champion Brandon Ramirez finished with six points to lead MCFASolver, which gained P50,000 for finishing runner-up.
The two teams set up an unlikely finals showdown after turning back their respective semifinal opponents.
The Tech Centrale escaped past Cavitex Braves, 20-19, while the Bolts made short work of Purefoods TJ Titans, 21-13.
The Braves later consoled themselves by taking third place after beating the Titans, 21-18. They took home the prize money worth P30,000.
