Laoag City: The three teams expected to reign supreme in the Palarong Pambansa secondary boys' basketball event fell one by one at the Centennial Arena in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

According to Philippines News Agency, defending champion National University-Nazareth School, representing the National Capital Region, was the first to crash out after succumbing to St. Robert's International College of Western Visayas, 67-76, in the quarterfinal during the daytime session. This defeat marked the end of the Bullpups' back-to-back title hopes in the Palarong Pambansa, adding to their recent setbacks in other tournaments.

St. Robert's continued its impressive performance in the semifinals later in the night by defeating Calabarzon, 80-73. Despite a strong first half led by Andrei Ugaddan, Calabarzon, composed of players from San Beda-Rizal and Lyceum-Cavite, could not hold off the surge from the Iloilo City-based team, led by Elijah Rose, in the second half.

St. Robert's is set to face Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), representing the Davao Region, in the gold medal game. ADDU also delivered a surprising performance by edging out the Pampanga Delta program-backed Central Luzon, 66-65, in a tense semifinal clash. ADDU overcame an 11-point deficit in the final minutes, capitalizing on a crucial turnover by Pampanga with 1.9 seconds remaining, to secure their spot in the final.