Luisa San Juan rediscovered her shooting touch as Tagaytay-Tol pulled off a 77-71 upset over San Juan-DN Steel to secure the fourth seed in the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League playoffs presented by Akari, Saturday at the Enderun Gym.
After averaging just 3.5 points in the second round, San Juan broke out at the perfect time. She drained five triples on her way to a game-high 17 points, along with six rebounds and three blocks in the crucial win against the Lady Knights.
With the victory, the Patriots clinched the No. 4 seed with a 4-6 record and secured a twice-to-beat incentive.
They owned the superior head-to-head aggregate over Pangasinan-Solar Home with a +6 differential, guaranteeing their spot even if Pangasinan wins and forces a tie in the standings.
(C) WMPBL
“Malaking bagay na may kumpiyansa na siya, kasi nakukumpleto ‘yung atake namin eh. Kulang kasi kami sa scoring sa four and five positions, kaya siya talaga ‘yung missing link,” said Tagaytay-Tol head coach Tito Reyes, referring to the sharpshooting forward out of La Salle.
After giving up 23 points in the opening quarter, the Patriots tightened their defense, holding San Juan-DN Steel to just 17, 14, and 17 points in the next three frames to complete the stunning victory.
“Yung best defense namin nalaro namin this game. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung nagdala namin, saka ‘yung composure sa huli nung humabol sila,” added Reyes.
Stephanie Berberabe turned in an all-around performance with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Meanwhile, Charmaine Natural nearly had a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds for Tagaytay-Tol, who closed the regular season with back-to-back wins.
Justine Domingo chipped in 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Monique Del Carmen stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds, four blocks, and one steal, albeit with six turnovers.
(C) WMPBL
On the other hand, the Lady Knights — who could have secured an outright semifinals berth with a win — must now await the results of the New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas and Discovery-Rizal games to determine their fate.
Janine Pontejos paced San Juan-DN Steel with 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Stefhanie Ventura added 16 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
The Scores:
Tagaytay-Tol 77 – San Juan 17, Berberabe 16, Natural 15, Domingo 12, Del Carmen 10, Santos 6, Paraiso 1, Harada 0, Pacia 0
San Juan-DN Steel 71 – Pontejos 16, Ventura 16, Talas 14, Canuto 8, Tolentino 5, Cabinbin 4, Pedregosa 4, Adlawan 2, Mendaros 2, Paras 0
Quarterscores: 22-23, 50-40, 65-54, 77-71
