Sta. Rosa, Laguna—Teamwork and timely baskets from members of Quezon City-Wilcon earned them an 18-13 victory in their clash with the giant-killing Pasig-Banh Mi on Sunday evening in the finals of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 2023 Quest 3.0 in Santa Rosa City, Laguna.
TH Tumalip, Spanish reinforcement Jose Antonio Blasquez (later named MVP) and Yutien Andrada took turns in hitting shots that gave Quezon City a five-point edge in the final two minutes of action at the Ayala Mall-Solenad activity center.
Their big plays earned Quezon City a seat to the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Cebu Masters and ₱100,000 in cash.
“Honestly, we did not expect anything. We just wanted to give our best heading into the competition,” said QC coach Anton Altamirano.
With Pasig incurring 10 fouls halfway in the contest, inside plays from Bahamian cager Jean Rony Cadot and outside shots from Louie Vigil saw Banh Mi coming back from a 5-13 deficit and overtaking their foes.
Pasig came to within match point, 19-14, following a driving shot from Vigil.
The 26-year-old Blasquez, who was fighting off jet lag after arriving in the country two days before, took MVP honors for his heroics, helping QC move away from a 10-9 edge with his baskets during a run that gave them a 15-10 edge with 1:47 remaining.
“It’s my first time playing here. It was an amazing experience. I had jet lag. But my teammates were amazing,” said Blasquez.
In the semifinals, a deuce from Fil-American Robert Keith Datu gave Quezon City match point and a 22-20 victory over the Makati City-Kingpins with 2:47 left in the game clock.
Pasig-Banh Mi scored an upset on their way to the finals, rallying from eight points down to oust the Chico Lanete-coached Manila-Chooks, 21-14, off Vigil’s drive and deuce in the final 48.2 seconds.
Manila-Chooks, with Marquez Letcher-Ellis finalizing the count in the final 2:02, settled for third place with their 21-15 stopping of Makati.
QC reached the semifinals after sweeping their three-game Pool A assignment, brushing off Gerald Anderson’s Botolan, 21-13, Pasig-Banh Mi, 21-11, and Taguig-Happy Hotels, 21-10, along the way.
Pasig’s journey to the finals came with a 22-14 point victory over Taguig, and a 21-6 verdict over Botolan to finish second place in Pool A.