Nueva Ecija will have to compete without ace guard Juan Gomez de Liano in the second leg of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup powered by TM on Friday, October 23, 2020, at the INSPIRE Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
The sensational 20-year old sprained his ankle in their duel versus Bacolod in the first leg of the country’s first-ever professional 3x3 league last Wednesday.
He averaged 7.5 points per game but failed to play in the playoffs after stepping on the foot of Bacolod big man Chris Lalata on his drive to the rack.
That doesn't mean that the Rice Vanguards will still play with a handicap, however, as Tonino Gonzaga will play in his stead.
The new entrants in this tournament energized by hydration partner Gatorade lost Gomez de Liano in their last assignment in the group stages, while also seeing Mac Sabellina get ejected, but still made an improbable run to the semifinals where they bowed to eventual champion Zamboanga City-Family's Brand Sardines, 21-19.
Plain and simple, for Gab Banal, that was a testament to their will to win.
"We just wanted to win. We just wanted to show we're still going to fight so you even saw Jai (Reyes) driving one against two."
Nueva Ecija is out to dig deep once more as they face a different kind of challenge for Leg 2 since they have been grouped together with sister team Palayan City Capitals and rebound-seeking Saranggani Marlins in Pool A.
Zamboanga City, composed of Cebuano Leonard Santillan, Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol and Troy Rike topped the first leg in unbeaten fashion as they went 7-0 on their run to the title that also bagged for them the P100,000 cash prize.
The same amount remains up for grabs in the second leg, which starts at 1 p.m.
To continue their winning ways, Munzon and company will first have to go through Pasig-Sta. Lucia Realtors and Petra Cement-Roxas ZN in Pool B.
Bannering Pool C is Butuan, who came back with a vengeance en route to a runner-up finish, alongside Bicol-Paxful 3x3 Pro and Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes MLV.
In Pool D, Porac will duke it out with Bacolod-Master Sardines and Pagadian Rocky Sports.
The top two from each group advance into the quarterfinals and from there, knockout bouts will determine the champion which will receive P100,000 while the second- and third-placers get P30,000 and P20,000, respectively. (JNP)