Akari-Rizal delivered a dominant 93-67 victory over RK Hoops-Quezon City 10ACT in Game 1 of the semifinals, moving within one win of a return to the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Finals on Sunday at the Parañaque Coliseum.
The Sparks turned a 12-point first-quarter lead into a commanding 30-point advantage after unleashing a 19-1 run, capped by three consecutive three-pointers from Janine Pontejos, to build a 44-14 cushion with 34 seconds left in the first half.
Akari never looked back from there, cruising to draw first blood in the best-of-three semifinal series of the tournament backed by Aktive.
(C) WMPBL
“I think we were able to jump on them early. We were able to score (the first 14) points ata early, and we wanted to dictate the tempo. That’s what we wanted,” said Sparks head coach Derrick Pumaren.
“But as I told the players, we cannot just rely on lamang kami and run away from what we’re doing. That’s not the right way. Kailangan we stick to the system,” he added.
Pontejos turned in her best performance for Akari-Rizal, finishing with 24 points on six three-pointers while adding three assists.
Mar Prado also regained her form, tallying 18 points and six rebounds. Raiza Palmera-Dy recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists, along with four rebounds and two steals.
Allana Lim contributed seven points and four rebounds, while Camille Sambile and LJ Candelario chipped in six points apiece.
The Sparks’ offense clicked from the opening tip, shooting 47-percent from the field and 42-percent from beyond the arc. The team also dished out 32 assists in a wire-to-wire victory.
(C) WMPBL
RK Hoops-Quezon City 10ACT, meanwhile, struggled despite the return of star forward Tantoy Ferrer, who nearly posted a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in 35 minutes of action.
Jeorge Panti, who starred in their semifinals-clinching win over Pasig, finished with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds while also handing out five assists.
Akari-Rizal will look to punch its ticket to the finals, while RK Hoops-Quezon City 10ACT aims to force a winner-take-all Game 3 when the two teams meet in Game 2 on July 11 at 6:00 PM.
The Scores:
Akari-Rizal 93 – Pontejos 24. Prado 16, Palmera-Dy 15, Lim 7, Sambile 6, Candelario 6, Abatayo 5, Angeles 5, Salapong 3, Adlawan 2, Nagma 2, Ventura 0, Flor 0, Del Prado 0
RK Hoops-Quezon City 10ACT 67 – Ferrer 21, J. Panti 11, Molina 7, Dela Cruz 6, Larosa 5, Alcantara 4, Antonio 4, Isip 3, F. Panti 2, Docallos 2, Buendia 2, Aragon 0, Young 0, Dampios 0, Quaipo 0
Quarterscores: 25-13, 52-24, 70-46, 93-67
