TNT soldiered on even in the absence of main man Almond Vosotros as it became the first team to book a quarterfinals berth in Leg 3 of the Philippine Basketball Association 3×3 Third Conference on Monday.
Vosotros was a last-minute scratch out heading to Day 1 of pool play at the Ayala Malls Fairview Terraces, but the Triple Giga managed to find a way to win without the many-time scoring champion.
Gryann Mendoza, who filled in the shoes of the sick Vosotros, took care of business for the team by tallying seven points in tandem with Chester Saldua, who finished with six, in TNT’s 21-10 beating of last leg champion MCFASolver.
A few hours later, the Mendoza-Saldua tandem struck again and combined for 16 points as the Triple Giga frustrated Purefoods TJ Titans, 20-13, for a two-game sweep of their assignment in Pool A.
The team of coach Mau Belen is seeking to make it deep to the playoffs this time after a pair of seventh place finishes in the first two legs of this conference.
Seeking back-to-back titles, MCFASolver was quick to bounce back though, leaning on the tandem of Brandon Ramirez and Louie Vigil to nip Purefoods, 21-18, and claim the other quarterfinals berth in their group with an even 1-1 record.
Ramirez and Vigil finished with eight points each in the win that eliminated the Titans (0-2).
The remaining quarterfinal berths in Pools B and C were openly up for grabs for the eight contending teams as of press time.
Meralco is on top of Pool B with a 1-0 record, followed by San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra with similar 1-1 cards.
In Pool C, Pioneer Elastoseal leads the way at 1-0, while with an even 1-1 record are Cavitex and Northport.
