Joshua Munzon came through when it mattered most for Zamboanga City Chooks, firing 4 of the last 7 points for Family’s Brand Sardines as they bested Butuan-Uling Roasters, 21-17, Wednesday, October 21, in a classic championship game for Leg 1 of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go President’s Cup.
The Philippines’ top player and teammates Alvin Pasaol, Troy Rike, and Santi Santillan were pushed to the limit inside the Inspire Sports Academy here by Butuan, which even led, 17-14, inside the last 3 minutes.
Munzon took over from there, however, and his deuce detonated a 7-0 blast that powered Zamboanga City through the very game Uling Roasters.
It was also the 6-foot-2 Filipino-American who coolly converted his charity to wrap up their undefeated conquest of the first leg in the Calamba bubble.
“Again, it showed we can fight through adversity,” he said after totaling 12 points in the finals. “We just stuck to our script. We took advantage of our advantages.”
While Munzon was taking time to get going, Pasaol kept the heavy favorites afloat and wound up with 6 markers.
Rike and Santillan scored 2 and 1, respectively, for Family’s Brand Sardines, who also reigned supreme in the preseason.
Zamboanga City bagged a P100,000 prize, while Butuan, despite falling short, won the same prize money as well as Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. president Ronald Mascarinas had pledged the amount to the finals opponent of Family’s Brand Sardines, the squad bannered by the country’s top-ranked 3×3 players.
Karl Dehesa showed the way for Uling Roasters with 6 points while Chris de Chavez and Chico Laneta each scored 4.
Franky Johnson only had 3 points, but overall, their runner-up performance is a big-time bounce back from a preseason that saw them eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Earlier, both Zamboanga City and Butuan swept their qualifying and playoff games of the tournament also backed by hydration partner Gatorade.
Family’s Brand Sardines ended Porac’s resurgence and then extinguished Nueva Ecija’s fire in their match, 21-19, to the championship round while Uling Roasters blasted Bacolod and then bested Zamboanga Peninsula, 21-16.
Rounding out the top 3 for Leg 1 are the Rice Vanguards, who continued to impress as they survived Juan Gomez de Liaños’s injury and Mac Sabellina’s ejection to top Pool D in the group stages.
In the quarterfinals, Gab Banal and Jai Reyes kept on willing their side until running into Zamboanga City once more.
De Chavez also pocketed an extra P10,000 after taking down the TM Two-Point Shootout, knocking down 9 of the 10 balls with 18 seconds to spare.
The TM Slam Dunk Contest, on the other hand, saw a huge upset as newcomer Jesus Manay bested decorated local dunker David Carlos to take home P20,000.
The second leg of the FIBA 3×3-endorsed tournament kicks off on Friday still inside the ‘CalamBubble.’
The Scores:
Zamboanga City 21 – Munzon 12, Pasaol 6, Santillan 2, Rike 1.
Butuan City 17 – Dehesa 6, De Chavez 4, Lanete 4, Johnson 3.
– Rappler.com
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