JRU, EAC rule NCAA 3x3 hoops

MANILA, Philippines — Jose Rizal University and Emilio Aguinaldo College pulled off nail-biting victories to emerge as NCAA Season 100 3x3 basketball champions in the seniors and juniors divisions, respectively, over the weekend at the JRU Gym.

The Bombers, backstopped by the sweet-shooting Shawn Kenneth Argente, turned back the John Elbert Lopez-paced Lions, 22-21, to claim the crown for the second straight season in the sport seeking to become a regular part of the league’s annual calendar.

While it was Argente who was eventually named Most Valuable Player, Joseph Pangilinan’s booming two-pointer sealed the deal in that epic finals escape for a squad that also had bruiser Vince Sarmiento and Justin Lozano.

It denied San Beda, which also consisted of Lawrence Earl Hawkins, Kyle Francis Jamora and Ron Tolentino, the title that it almost snatched but just couldn’t pull it off in the end.

EAC’s Kelly Coronel, Rafecq Jawali, Noel Lanceta and Clint Bonus, for its part, stunned Jan Daniel Pagulayan, Jim Corpuz, Don Rosales and Jericho Cristino of University of Perpetual Help, 19-18, to complete a Cinderella finish in the high school level.

Coronel was named MVP.

In the battle for third place, San Beda bested JRU, 19-18, in the juniors’ section while College of St. Benilde trounced UPHSD, 21-18, in the seniors’ division.