IT’S been heartbreak after heartbreak for Meralco over the last four conferences.
The Meralco Bolts finally ended a series of heartbreaks over the past four conferences with a triumphant victory in Leg 1 of the PBA 3×3 Season 3 Third Conference at Ayala Malls Glorietta.
Led by coach Patrick Fran, the Bolts secured a 13-8 lead and held off a late surge from MCFASolver in the final to claim the gold with a 15-13 win. This marked a significant turnaround for Meralco, which had previously settled for runner-up finishes in two leg finals and missed a chance to topple TNT in the previous conference.
Key contributors to Meralco’s success were Alfred Batino
Jeff Manday, Reymar Caduyac, and Joseph Sedurifa. Sedurifa’s two-pointer in the final secured a 15-11 lead, sealing the victory and ending their championship drought.
Expressing relief, Sedurifa credited the team’s hard work, especially coach Pat Fran and his teammates, for the long-awaited success. Meralco earned P100,000 and 100 Tour points for their victory, bringing their total leg wins to five since the inaugural season in 2021.
In the runner-up spot, MCFASolver, represented by Brandon Ramirez, TH Tumalip, Yutien Andrada, and Louie Vigil, fell short of defending their title and settled for a P50,000 prize.
Meanwhile, Cavitex secured third place, defeating Purefoods 21-18, and earning P30,000. Jorey Napoles, Tonino Gonzaga, Philip Paniamogan, and Ken Ighalo contributed to their podium finish.
The journey to victory for Meralco included a quarterfinal win against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (21-16) and a semifinal triumph over Purefoods TJ Giants (21-13).
MCFASolver’s path to the finals involved defeating Purefoods (16-14) in their last pool game, eliminating Pioneer Elastoseal Katibays in the quarters (18-15), and narrowly beating CAVITEX Braves in the semis (20-19).
In the Battle for Third, the Braves secured the win against the TJ Giants (18-21) to claim the Php 30,000 cash prize.
Before these matchups, CAVITEX defeated defending champions TNT Triple Giga in the quarters (19-17), while Purefoods moved past Blackwater Smooth Razor in their quarterfinal faceoff (18-16).