By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Meralco Bolts’ electrifying chemistry came out on top against the stacked Platinum Karaoke squad during the championship game of the PBA 3×3 second leg, 21-16, held at the Ynares Sports Arena.
After failing to win the trophy in the first leg and settling for a runner-up finish, Meralco made sure they will come out on top this time as Joseph Sedurifa iced the game with three straight points including the final shot that closed the show.
It was sweet payback for the Bolts after crushing the TNT Tropang Giga, the team that eliminated them in the first leg, 21-13, in the second leg’s highly-anticipated semifinals.
Awaiting them in the grand finals is the experienced Platinum team who had former national 3×3 players in Karl Dehesa and Chris DeChavez.
However, Meralco had other plans as gunner Tonino Gonzaga immediately let his presence known offensively when he attacked Platinum’s interior at will.
The Meralco onslaught would continue that increased their lead to 13-5 but the duo of DeChavez and Dehesa quickly responded to the challenge and didn’t let their team go down without a fight.
Platinum had a huge 11-5 run that helped them claw back, 16-18 after they began playing their brand of offense and defense for three straight minutes.
When Platinum thought they had the momentum on their side, it was when Sedurifa started to operate and sank the timely baskets needed for the impressive championship win.
