COMPETITION in the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 President’s Cup hits the homestretch with the fourth leg set for Tuesday at the INSPIRE Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
Action has been packed and intense since the now-professional league unfurled its opening leg on Oct. 21 with the Zamboanga City-Family’s Brand Sardines and Butuan City-Uling Roasters topping the completed legs to date.
Butuan City was the latest winner, defeating the Pasig-Sta. Lucia Realtors, 21-20, in the finals of the third leg last Sunday.
Former Philippine Basketball Association player Chico Lanete and Franky Johnson led the way for the Uling Roasters as they became the second team to win a leg in the two-week-long tournament being held in a “bubble” setup at the government-approved facility of National University.
Zamboanga City, composed of national team pool members, bagged the first two leagues of the tournament, currently powered by TM.
Mr. Laneta top-scored for Butuan City in the finals with eight points, with Mr. Johnson adding six of his own.
Teammates Chris De Chavez and JR Alabanza, meanwhile, had four and three points, respectively.
Mr. Johnson, with his team down, 19-20, with 27 seconds to go, provided the go-ahead basket for Butuan City in the victory, draining the basket from two-point land to overtake Pasig,
Uling Roasters swept its way to the finals, going unscathed in the group stages before breezing through Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes, 21-14, in the quarterfinals and then breaking down Bacolod-Master Sardines, 21-18, in the semifinals.
For topping the third leg, Butuan City got P100,000, with Pasig receiving the runner-up prize of P30,000. Third-place and P20,000 went to Bacolod. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
