Palmera-Dy, Lim spark Akari surge as Sparks seize share of WMPBL lead

With their combined efforts, the Sparks tied Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire at the top of the six-team field in the tournament backed by Aktive, both holding identical 5-1 win-loss records.

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“We did not start well the way I was expecting them to do. We were not running our offense. They were good shots, but we were not getting better shots. Mentally, we were not ready to play them right away — we ran away from what we were doing. As I have said, we have to make up for it on the other end, and that’s what we did, we played well defensively,” Akari head coach Derrick Pumaren said.

“We were able to clamp down on defense, that’s why we won the game,” he added.

Determined to bounce back from a lackluster opening period — where the Sparks fell into a 5-17 hole, missed all 14 field goal attempts, and committed eight turnovers — Akari responded with a dominant second quarter. The Sparks outscored RK Hoops 35-16, highlighted by three consecutive triples from Jhenn Angeles and a Lim floater, to take a 40-33 halftime lead.

Akari then broke the game open in the third quarter, with Lim scoring the team’s first nine points before Palmera-Dy added 11 straight points of her own. The two pushed the Rizal-based squad to a commanding 63-44 lead with 2:39 remaining in the period.

RK Hoops-Quezon City 10ACT managed to cut the deficit to 13, but an Angel Anies layup followed by another Palmera-Dy triple restored a 79-60 cushion for the Sparks with 5:35 left.

Anies finished with 14 points, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals, while Mar Prado added 13 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Angeles contributed 12 points, including three triples, along with five assists and two steals.

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Meanwhile, RK Hoops Quezon City-10ACT absorbed a tough setback, slipping to fourth place with a 2-5 record.

University of Santo Tomas alumna Tantoy Ferrer led the Quezon City-based squad with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Caryl Molina and Faith Panti then added 11 points each in the loss.

Mikee Antonio chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal, while Natasha Alcantara added eight points.

The Scores:

Akari-Rizal (89) – Palmera-Dy 26, Lim 17, Anies 14, Prado 13, Angeles 12, Sambile 4, Abatayo 3, Ventura 0, Nagma 0, Galicia 0, Salapong 0, Candelario 0, Flor 0, Del Prado 0.

RK Hoops-Quezon City (72) – Ferrer 17, Molina 11, Panti 11, Antonio 10, Alcantara 8, Larosa 8, Dela Cruz 3, Dampios 3, Buendia 1, Cayco 0, Isip 0.

Quarterscores: 5-17, 40-33, 63-50, 89-72.