THE girls team of the Abellana National School bagged the national championship in the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Under-18 3x3 Pambansang Tatluhan National Finals after defeating Bacolod, 13-8, in the finals at the Robinsons Place in Manila on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019.
The team composed of Maih Archival, Daniella Alterado, Maxim Magbanua and Fergie Ypilan earned a whopping P50,000 cash prize for their first place finish.
It was a hard-earned victory for the Cebuanas, which had to eke past Lingayen in the semifinals, 13-12, in order to barge into the championship round. They also beat Cagayan de Oro, 13-11, in the quarterfinals.
The two protagonists in the finals came from Pool B, with Bacolod actually taking down Cebu, 9-8, in the elimination round. It was Cebu’s only loss in the tournament after logging in impressive wins over Cam Norte, 17-12, and Zamboanga, 7-6.
The last time Cebu won a national crown in 3x3 basketball was back in 2015 when the team composed of Lucky Ecarma, Jair Igna, Carlo Ortega and Joshua Sinclair emerged victorious in the nationals which earned them a spot in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour Manila Masters.