Third-ranked Discovery-Rizal advanced to the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Finals after a wire-to-wire 68-56 victory over No. 2 San Juan-DN Steel in Game 2 of the semifinals on Wednesday evening at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
Drawing confidence from their dominant 76-65 win in Game 1, the Perlas leaned on the quartet of Allana Lim, Tacky Tacatac, Camille Sambile, and Tantoy Ferrer to complete a series sweep of San Juan-DN Steel.
The win books a championship showdown with New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas in the tournament supported by Uratex, Black Mamba, Red Dynasty, Aktiv Balls, and Pocari Sweat.
The Valkyries earlier secured their Finals berth with an 80-64 victory over Tagaytay-Tol.
Lim nearly had a flawless outing, finishing with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting along with 10 rebounds and one steal.
Sambile also played a crucial role in sealing the sweep, tallying 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
(C) WMPBL
“I think we were able to frustrate them defensively — especially in the first half,” said Perlas head coach Derrick Pumaren.
“We were able to hold them down to 15 points, and as I told the team, this game is going to be played possession by possession, defensive possessions. We have to get stops and we have to make the game hard for [the Lady Knights].”
Discovery-Rizal took an 18-10 lead after the first quarter before breaking the game wide open with a decisive 19-point second period. They also held the Lady Knights to just five points to build a commanding 37-15 halftime cushion.
That dominant stretch proved to be the turning point. Lim and Tacatac took turns maintaining Discovery-Rizal’s momentum, helping the Perlas preserve a 56-41 lead heading into the payoff period.
San Juan-DN Steel made a brief rally early in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to 61-50, but Discovery-Rizal quickly shut the door. A split at the line by Lovejoy Candelario, a four-point burst from Ferrer, and a mid-range jumper by Lim restored a 68-50 advantage with 2:53 left — effectively punching the Perlas’ ticket to the Finals.
Tacatac finished with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting alongside two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, Ferrer delivered a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds with three steals and one block.
Candelario chipped in five points but made her presence felt with 10 rebounds and two assists.
(C) WMPBL
San Juan-DN Steel’s inaugural professional campaign came to an end despite a strong effort from Janine Pontejos. She led the Lady Knights with 18 points built on four triples and an efficient 6-of-12 clip, along with five steals, two rebounds, and one assist.
Sthefanie Ventura added 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, plus eight rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
The league has yet to announce the schedule of the championship series between New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas and Discovery-Rizal.
The Scores:
Discovery-Rizal (68) – Lim 16, Sambile 13, Tacatac 12, Ferrer 11, Sison 6, Candelario 5, Anies 3, Galicia 2, Palmera-Dy 0.
San Juan-DN Steel (56) – Pontejos 18, Ventura 11, Panti 9, Pedregosa 8, Cabinbin 7, Canuto 3, Junsay 0, Talas 0, Paras 0, Adlawan 0, Tolentino 0, Mendaros 0.
Quarterscores: 18-10, 37-15, 56-41, 68-56.
