LIMITLESS App continued the trend in the PBA 3x3 Lakas ng Tatlo as the Appmasters became the fifth team to win top honors in five legs Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Jorey Napoles, Reymar Caduyac and Marvin Hayes delivered a gutsy performance over the last two days and sealed Limitless' rise to No. 1 in Leg 5 with a hard-earned 14-13 victory over the TnT Tropang Giga in a low-scoring finale.
Rosser banged in five points, including a clutch And-1 play that led to a 14-11 cushion going to the last 47 seconds, while Caduyac and Napoles shot four apiece and Hayes contributed a point as Limitless secured its place in the elite company of previous leg winners TnT, Meralco, Sista, and Purefoods.
Limitless, representing Phoenix Super LPG in the stand-alone three-a-side competition, earned P100,000 for its breakthrough triumph.
TnT's Almond Vosotros, Samboy de Leon, Lervin Flores, and tournament debutant Chris Javier settled for runner-up honors worth P50,000.
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Terrafirma quartet Dhon Reverente, Terrence Tumalip, Matt Salem and Jebb Bulawan posted their second podium finish as they nipped a badly-depleted Meralco in the third place battle, 21-10. The Dyip took home P30,000.
After finishing 11th, fourth, seventh, and sixth in the first four legs, Limitless put up a determined effort to reach great heights.
The Appmasters outsteadied Leg 2 runner-up Platinum Karaoke in a tough quarterfinal matchup, banking on a Rosser deuce to escape with a 15-14 verdict.
They then turned to Caduyac's 11-point explosion to beat a three-man Meralco crew, 20-14, to advance to the finals for the first time.
The Appmasters faced an early 4-8 deficit against TnT but patiently clawed their way back and wrested the lead at 12-11 on a layup by Caduyac. Rosser, receiving a nifty feed from Caduyac, extended the gap to three with his two-point play.
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The Tropang Giga had to work their way up to get a crack at a historic second leg triumph.
After dropping their two assignments in Pool C last Saturday, the Tropang Giga scored a 21-14 win over San Miguel Beer in their last elims game to finish third in the group and make it to the KO for the eighth and last quarters berth.
Making the most of this opportunity, they beat Pool B No. 3 Barangay Ginebra, 21-10, to advance to the Last-8 against the unbeaten Purefoods.
With a stifling defense, the Tropang Giga dominated the Titans, 14-10, to qualify for the finals for the first time since winning the opening leg. (OL)
The Scores:
Game 17
Platinum 21 - Dehesa 10, Alabanza 7, De Chavez 3, Monteclaro 1.
Sista 19 - Argamino 7, De Vera 5, Mocon 4, Rivero 3.
Game 18
Meralco 20 - Gonzaga 9, Sedurifa 8, Batino 3, Maiquez 0.
Terrafirma 13 - Bulawan 5, Tumalip 3, Salem 3, Reverente 2.
Game 19
Purefoods 19 - Javelona 7, Mendoza 6, Eriobu 3, Mendoza 3.
Limitless 14 - Rosser 5, Caduyac 4, Napoles 4, Hayes 1.
Game 20
TNT 21 - Vosotros 11, De Leon 5, Flores 5, Javier 0.
SMB 14 - Mangahas 7, Vigil 7, Nermal 0, Manday 0.
Game 21
Ginebra 21 - Go 13, Cabahug 4, Cunanan 2, Villamor 2.
CAVITEX 10 - Reyes 4, Fajardo 4, Lao 2, Soberano 0.
Game 22
Pioneer 19 - Escalambre 9, Rivera 7, De Chavez 3, Reducto 0.
Zamboanga 16 - De Mesa 9, Cawaling 3, Neypes 2, Jumao-as 2.
KNOCKOUT
TNT 21 - Vosotros 9, De Leon 7, Flores 3, Javier 2.
Ginebra 10 - Cabahug 5, Go 3, Villamor 2, Cunanan 0.
Quarterfinals
Terrafirma 19 - Salem 11, Reverente 4, Tumalip 2, Bulawan 2.
Pioneer 17 - De Chavez 7, Reducto 4, Rivera 4, Escalambre 2.
Quasterfinals
Meralco 20 - Sedurifa 7, Maiquez 6, Batino 4, Gonzaga 3.
SMB 14 - Manday 7, Nermal 4, Mangahas 3.
Quarterfinals
TNT 14 - De Leon 7, Vosotros 3, Flores 3, Javier 1.
Purefoods 10 - Eriobu 6, Mendoza 2, Javelona 2, Bonsubre 0.
Quarterfinals
Limitless 15 - Rosser 9, Hayes 2, Napoles 2, Caduyac 2.
Platinum 14 - Alabanza 5, Dehesa 4, De Chavez 4, Monteclaro 1.
Semi-final
Limitless 20 - Caduyac 11, Napoles 4, Rosser 3, Hayes 2.
Meralco 14 - Batino 6, Maiquez 4, Sedurifa 4.
Battle for 3rd
Terrafirma 21 - Tumalip 9, Reverente 8, Bulawan 4, Salem 0.
Meralco 10 - Sedurifa 6, Batino 4, Maiquez 0.
Finals
Limitless 14 - Rosser 5, Napoles 4, Caduyac 4, Hayes 1,
TNT 13 - Vosotros 8, Flores 2, Javier 2, De Leon 1.
