San Miguel Beer extended its championship lineage in the PBA 3×3 Lakas Ng Tatlo as it bagged the Leg 2 title Sunday at the expense of Barangay Ginebra.
Spunky guard Jeff Manday sparked an early run by the Beermen of coach Boyzie Zamar, before holding their ground against a late rally by the Kings to notch their first championship in the three-a-side tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Manday finished with a game-high 13 points, Bacon Austria and Ken Bono with three, while Mon Rogado added two for the newly-crowned champions who bagged the P100,000 prize money.
The 3×3 title run was the latest feat for the proud San Miguel franchise, the most accomplished team in the PBA with a total of 27 championships won.
“Ang tagal naming hinintay ito,” said Austria, one of the original mainstays of the team since the standalone meet began in November last year.
“We stayed the course lang. We got new players in Ken (Bono) and Mon (Rogado), and ang laking tulong talaga nila,” added the big man out Ateneo.
Manday typified the Beermen’s serious bid for the championship by averaging 11.7 points per game beginning the playoffs after finishing the pool play with just a 4.8-point average.
Behind Manday’s outside snipings, the Beermen went on and led by as much as 14-4 to set the pace of the title match that came about after a thrilling finish to the pair of semifinal matches held earlier.
San Miguel edged out top seed Pioneer Pro Tibay, 21-19, while Barangay Ginebra came back and upset Limitless App, 21-18, behind the late baskets of Dennis Villamor and Encho Serrano.
Barangay Ginebra settled for the P50,000 runner-up purse as it eclipsed its previous highest finish of third place during the first leg of the meet two weeks ago.
In the battle for third place, Limitless trounced Pioneer Pro Tibay, 21-13, to take home the P30,000 prize money.