Nueva Ecija showcases depth against Sarangani

Nueva Ecija showed why they are one of the favorites in the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational, securing a 99-92 win over Sarangani on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

At the same time, head coach Carlo Tan expressed disappointment with their defensive performance. He shares, post-match, "I feel the players played not so good in general but offensively, we were really good,. There are some things that we need to clean up defensively."

Tan also adds, "We really had 10 days to work with this team. It's still a work in progress."

The Rice Vanguards flaunted their depth in this one, with the trio of Michael Mabulac, JP Sarao, and Byron Villarias anchoring the offense in the first three quarters, with Roi Sumang, Renz Palma, and Diego Dario chipping in late to preserve the victory.

Mabulac finished with seventeen points and six rebounds, with Sarao adding fifteen and five. Villarias added four triples on his way to fourteen points, while Sumang netted eight points, three rebounds, five assists, and a couple of steals.

Macky Acosta led the Marlins in scoring with seventeen points, with Marvin Lee adding fifteen markers and also contributing six rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Paul Sanga and Gabby Espinas combined for 24 points as well for Sarangani, who shot 47% from the field in this matchup.

The win puts Nueva Ecija alongside San Juan atop Pool C, with Sarangani joins Val City at the bottom.

The Marlins face off against the Knights tomorrow, with the Nueva Ecija having a little bit of a break before facing Val City on Thursday.

The Scores:

Nueva Ecija 99  - Mabulac 17, Sarao 15, Villarias 14, Gutang 10, Bitoon 10, Gozum 8, Sumang 8, Palma 8, Dario 6, Balucanag 3, Belgica 0.

Sarangani 92 - Acosta 17, Lee, 15, Sanga 13, Espinas 11, Sarangay 9, Marilao 8, Munsayac 7, Basibas 4, Monteclaro 3, Bautista 3, Ludovice 2, Sta. Ana 0.

Quarterscores: 22-13, 49-38, 75-65, 99-92.

Favorites advance in President's Cup Grand Finals quarterfinals

Nueva Ecija's Jai Reyes leads the Rice Vanguards

The top four teams of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM took care of business inside the bubble at INSPIRE Sports Academy in Calamba on Friday, as they won their respective quarterfinal matchups.

The most competitive quarterfinal matchup saw second seed Uling Roasters-Butuan eke out a 16-15 win against Bacolod-Master Sardines, 16-15.

With the game tied at 11 inside the final two minutes, Chris de Chavez drew a foul from Robin Rono, and with Bacolod in the penalty, it meant free throws for Butuan. De Chavez would convert both to establish a 13-11 lead that they never relinquished.

Franky Johnson would then convert a two-pointer to make it a two-possession game at 15-11.

Although Rono and Alfred Batino would chop the deficit back down late, time ran out and Butuan held on for the victory.

Karl Dehesa and JR Alabanza led the way with five points each, as they booked a matchup against Nueva Ecija in the semifinals.

The third-seeded Rice Vanguards dispatched Petra Cement-Roxas ZN, 21-14 in just under seven minutes.

Gab Banal topped Nueva Ecija with nine points, while Mac Sabelina closed out strong with five of the last six Nueva Ecija points to ensure there will not be an upset in this round.

The other side of the semifinal bracket features heavy favorites Zamboanga City Chooks against Pasig-Sta. Lucia.

The Family's Brand Sardines-backed quartet needed just over eight minutes to lop off Big Boss Cement-Porac, 21-11. Zamboanga City started off strong with a 12-4 opening run and never looked back.

Joshua Munzon led the quartet with twelve points. He shared afterwards, "Just executed the gameplan. We just need to continue this in the next three games."

After his explosion in the play-in round, Dylan Ababou was limited to just four markers.

The fourth-seed Realtors rode on their outside shooting to dispatch Palayan City, 21-13. Jhaps Bautista converted three two-pointers on his way to seven points, with Jeckster Apinan and Cedrick Ablaza adding six markers each.

The Zamboanga City-Pasig matchup is a reprise of the leg three quarterfinal, which the Realtors pulled off the upset.

Nueva Ecija rules out Juan Gomez de Liano in President's Cup Grand Final

Juan Gomez de Liano only played one leg in the President's Cup so far.

Short-term loss for a long-term gain.

Nueva Ecija has made the decision to rule out Juan Gomez de Liano from the upcoming Grand Final of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM.

Juan is still recovering from the right ankle sprain he suffered during the second leg of the tournament, and has yet to return to the 3x3 scene since.

He was hoping to be ready in time for the Grand Final, the final leg of the tournament that has a PhP 1M windfall for the winner. However, the Rice Vanguards physical therapist indicated that the twenty-year-old has yet to fully recover from his injury.

According to team manager Jai Reyes, "There’s so much to risk about his future. Although this as a major tournament for us and we really want to win, it’s unfair to him if pilitin namin siya lumaro."

He adds, "Gusto niyang lumaro, but the assessment is hindi pa niya kaya na full speed. We don't want to risk everything."

Although Gomez de Liano has been sidelined, he remains ever present for the Rice Vanguards. Reyes remarked, "For the past legs na 'di siya nakakalaro, he's always there to cheer us. He'll still be there tomorrow."

As third seeds in the Grand Final on Friday, Nueva Ecija will field Reyes, Gab Banal, Mac Sabelina, and Tonino Gonzaga as their quartet.

Nueva Ecija tops Pool C in President's Cup fourth leg

Gab Banal steps up in the clutch for Nueva Ecija.

Already assured of a spot in the knockout rounds, Nueva Ecija made sure that they finished on top, escaping with a 21-19 victory over Pasig-Sta. Lucia in the final stretch of pool play of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM on Tuesday.

The Realtors took advantage of the Rice Vanguards' penalty situation to erase an 10-17 deficit into an 18-17 lead.

However, Gab Banal stepped up with a couple of two-pointers to clinch the victory with just over a minute left. The ninth-ranked 3x3 player in the Philippines finished with eleven points.

He shared afterwards about allowing Pasig to come back from their deficit, "Mental lapse but it's tough to think when you're tired."

The win sets up Nueva Ecija's quarterfinal matchup against Butuan City, while Pasig will face Sarangani for their matchup.

The Uling Roasters-backed quartet kept their back-to-back leg championship hopes alive as they knocked out Bacolod-Master Sardines, 21-16.

Chris de Chavez led Butuan with eleven points. He shared about the mindset into their matchup against Bacolod, "Like I said, in the first game we didn't bring our one-hundred percent. We needed to bring our all in this game." They had lost their opening assignment to Sarangani earlier in the day, 19-21.

Zamboanga City continued their impressive form in the fourth leg, needing just over five minutes to demolish Pagadian City-Rocky Sports, 21-7. The win sets up a matchup against Zamboanga Peninsula in the quarterfinals.

Big Boss Cement-Porac nipped the Valientes, 21-19 in the other remaining pool matchup. The Green Gorillas will face Palayan City in the quarterfinals.

Aside from the knockout rounds, the TM side events will still take place, the Two-Point Shootout, and the Slam Dunk Contest.

In a battle of the last two runners-up in the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President’s Cup powered by TM, it was Gab Banal who proved to be the difference.

The ninth-ranked 3x3 player in the country did not allow Nueva Ecija to fall to Pasig-Sta. Lucia, carrying his side to a thrilling 21-19 (8:58), Tuesday at the INSPIRE Sports Academy here.

This is the first time in three legs that Bacolod City, who did not have Alfred Batino for the stop, did not make the next round that has P100,000 waiting for the winner.

Family’s Brand Sardines-Zamboanga City Chooks completed its sweep of Pool D with a dominant 21-7 (5:06) romp of the still winless Pagadian City Rocky Sports.

Besides the playoffs, also taking place as of publishing is the TM side events – Slam Dunk Contest and Two-Point Shootout.

Gab Banal torches Pagadian in President's Cup third leg opener for Nueva Ecija

Gab Banal at work.

Nueva Ecija shook off their loss in the final of the second leg with a 21-11 win over Pagadian-Rocky Sports to open their third leg campaign at the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM.

The Rice Vanguards needed just four and a half minutes to dispatch their opposition, led by a dominant performance by Gab Banal.

Banal's conference-high fifteen points proved to be too much for Pagadian, which included six two-pointers. The ninth-ranked 3x3 player in the Philippines shared afterwards, "Wala naman masyadong pressure. Slow start kami e so I had to step up. Yun lang motivation ko kanina."

Zamboanga City doubled up Bicol-Paxful 3x3 Pro to open their third leg campaign, 22-11. Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol combined for seventeen points for Family's Brand Sardines-back quartet, which completed the match in just over six minutes.

Butuan City defeated Palayan City, 22-13, to start their campaign in Pool D, while Sarangani topped Big Boss Cement-Porac MSC in Pool A, 21-15.

Nueva Ecija survives Bacolod in President's Cup quarters

Jai Reyes still got that explosive jumper.

Nueva Ecija needed some late drama to book their spot in the quarterfinals of the second leg in the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM inside the bubble setup at the INSPIRE Sports Academy.

Jai Reyes' two-pointer over Mon Mabayo with under two minutes remaining clinched a 21-19 come-from-behind victory for the Rice Vanguards against Bicol-Paxful 3x3 Pro.

It capped a 5-0 run that lasted around a couple of minutes. An Alwin Alday deep shot allowed Bicol to take a 19-16 lead with under four minutes, but Gab Banal and Mac Sabelina scored back-to-back layups to reduce the deficit to a solitary point. Reyes then tied the game with a layup, setting things up for his game-winning heroics. Nueva Ecija's team manager would finish with eight points in the victory.

Sabelina also finished with eight points for the Rice Vanguards. He shared afterwards, "Sinunod lang namin yung game plan namin. Tinrabaho lang namin."

Nueva Ecjia will face Pasig-Sta. Lucia in the semifinals, as the Realtors downed Big Boss Cement-Porac, 21-13.

Cedrick Ablaza clinched the win for Pasig with a left elbow jumper with 105 seconds remaining.

In the other semifinal matchup, Zamboanga City and Butuan City set up a rematch of the first leg final after dispatching their quarterfinal opposition in similar fashion.

The national pool side backed by Family's Brand Sardines bested Bacolod-Master Sardines, 21-16. Joshua Munzon scored nine points, including the game-clincher with just over two minutes left.

Uling Roasters-backed Butuan escaped with a 21-17 win over Sarangani. Franky Johnson nailed an off-balance two-pointer to secure the win with over two minutes left.

In one of two side-events within the second leg, Roider Cabrera clinched the TM Two-Point Shootout in clutch fashion, converting the final ball for his eighth point. The Adamson alumnus beat out Dylan Ababou for the PhP 10,000 prize.

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.