Cebu’s Tallo leads Hei Hei Manila to Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 Invitational title

Mac Tallo

Cebuano Mac Tallo (right) leads Hei Hei Manila to the title of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 Invitational by scoring 12 of the team’s 21 points en route to an easy, 21-6 bashing of the Pasig King Pins on Wednesday evening.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Crafty Cebuano guard Mac Tallo tallied 12 points to lead Hei Hei Manila in winning the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 Invitational title against the Pasig King Pins, 21-6, on Wednesday night, October 20, 2021, at the Laus Group Events Centre in Pampanga.

Tallo helped Hei Hei Manila maintain its unbeaten run in their entire tournament after nailing a total of 18 two-point shots (3-pointers).

For Tallo, their win in the Chooks-to-Go 3×3 Invitational is crucial to their preparations for the upcoming FIBA 3×3 World Tour Abu Dhabi Masters that runs from October 29 to 30, 2021.

The winning team in that major tournament will get a chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

“Kailangan talaga namin ang liga na ‘to. It is to give us the confidence na dadalhin namin sa Abu Dhabi. Malaking tulong sa amin yung mga teams na sumali dito,” said Tallo.

His Hei Hei Manila teammates include top-tier Cebuano defender Zach Huang, veteran Chico Lañete and two-time NCAA All-Defensive team member Mike Nzeusseu of Cameroon in Hei Hei Manila.

Hei Hei Manila didn’t waste time in the finals against Pasig by unleashing all their arsenal on the floor. They logged the fastest game in the tournament which only lasted five minutes.

“Ready na kami, nagsimula kami for the past two weeks. Core sa amin, kaming lahat yung core. Syempre gusto namin makapasok sa Olympics, yun lang ang focus namin makapag Olympics kami,” added Tallo.

Hei Hei Manila’s players such as Tallo, Huang, and Lañete played for the Manila Chooks TM in the 2021 FIBA 3×3 Montreal Masters last September.

They were joined by Mark Yee and Dennis Santos. The team’s head coach is Aldin Ayo. /rcg

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