President's Cup resumes with second leg

The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards

Fresh from a podium finish at the first leg of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM last Wednesday, Nueva Ecija is set to tweak their quartet for the second leg on Friday.

The Rice Vanguards needed to make an adjustment after Juan Gomez de Liano suffered an ankle injury during pool play against Bacolod. He was forced to sit out the knockout rounds, which saw the team make it all the way through the semifinals.

Nueva Ecija then decided to shelve the 20-year old for the upcoming second leg.

The former stalwart of the University of the Philippines averaged 7.5 points in the first leg before getting injured.

Veteran guard Tonino Gonzaga has been called up to replace Juan and join Jai Reyes, Gab Banal, and Maclean Sabelina, as they are set to face off against sister team Palayan City, and Sarangani in Pool A.

First leg champions Zamboanga City seek to extend their dominance in the 3x3 scene after being placed alongside Pasig-Sta. Lucia and Petra Cement-Roxas in Pool B.

Down 17-14 with four minutes left, Joshua Munzon sparked the Family's Brand Sardines-back quartet with four points in the 7-0 run to clinch the title and the PhP 100,000 cash prize.

Butuan-Uling Roasters headline Pool C, as they aim to improve on their second place effort against Bicol-Paxful 3x3 Pro and Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes MLV.

Porac, Bacolod-Master Sardines, and Pagadian-Rocky Sports complete the cast inside the so-called "Calambubble" for Pool D.

The second leg will also feature the TM Two-Point Shootout and the TM Slam Dunk Contest, with the latter featuring the trio of Darwin Cantong, Jesus Manay, and David Carlos trying to outdo each other.

Fans can watch the games on BEAM TV Channel 31, the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas page on Facebook, and the FIBA 3x3 YouTube account, starting at 1pm.