Akari-Rizal left no room for doubt, crushing Pasig, 88–51, to clinch the top seed in the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on Sunday at the Alonte Sports Arena.
The Sparks, already assured of a semifinal berth, imposed their will from start to finish. They seized control early and never let up, turning the contest into a wire-to-wire masterclass as they wrapped up the regular season with a league-best 9–1 record.
Allana Lim spearheaded Akari-Rizal’s fast start, firing seven quick points in the opening minutes as the Sparks unleashed a 15–0 run to immediately take command.
From there, the tone was firmly set. Akari-Rizal tightened the screws on both ends and steadily pulled away, eventually stretching the lead to as many as 42 points.
(C) WMPBL
“Well, I think we played good defense, but we just have to clean up ‘yung fouls namin. Marami ‘yung fouls. I think all the quarters we were in penalty, so we have to clean that up,” said Akari-Rizal head coach Derrick Pumaren, as his team was whistled for a total of 18 fouls in the contest.
Lim finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Raiza Palmera-Dy added 15 points and six assists off the bench. The Sparks closed the regular season of the tourney backed by Aktive on a seven-game winning streak.
Mar Prado and Janine Pontejos chipped in nine points each, while Stef Ventura added eight points and nine rebounds.
Akari-Rizal will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between RK Hoops-Quezon City 10ACT and Pasig in the semifinals.
(C) WMPBL
The Queenpins slid to 2–8 after suffering their third straight loss.
No player reached double figures for the struggling Pasig side, with Lee Sario leading the team with seven points.
Gabi Bade, who played only 15 minutes in the loss, was held to four points, while LJ Miranda finished with two.
The Scores:
Akari-Rizal 88 – Lim 17, Palmera-Dy 15, Pontejos 9, Prado 9, Ventura 8, Abatayo 6, Angeles 6, Candelario 6, Nagma 4, Adlawan 4, Flor 2, Galicia 2, Salapong 0
Pasig 51 – Sario 7, Parungao 6, Padilla 6, Villanueva 5, Bade 4, Mendaros 4, Escotido 3, Balasta 3, Natural 3, Tolentino 2, Miranda 2, Araja 0
Quarterscores: 27-9, 51-24, 74-39, 88-51
