New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas cruised past Tagaytay-Tol in a wire-to-wire 81-62 triumph, riding another triple-double performance from an inspired Afril Bernardino to move within a win of the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Finals on Saturday at the Villar Coliseum.
Drawing strength from her ailing father, who is currently confined in the hospital, Bernardino once again proved unstoppable.
She tallied her second straight triple-double in the league’s professional era with 14 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. She also chipped in four blocks and two steals, powering the Valkyries to a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three semifinals series.
The former UAAP MVP came off an incredible 19-point, 21-rebound, 10-steal outing against Discovery-Rizal in their regular-season finale last October 4, which secured New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas an outright semifinals berth.
This latest feat marked her third triple-double in the league backed by Uratex, Black Mamba, Red Dynasty, Aktiv Balls, and Pocari Sweat.
Her first came on March 12 during the league’s inaugural invitational tournament, when she exploded for 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 steals in Philippine Navy’s 93-52 rout of Centro Escolar University.
(C) WMPBL
“Yung laro ko ngayon, para sa papa ko kasi nasa ospital siya ngayon so under observation,” said an emotional Bernardino after the victory.
“Kailangan pa namin ng improvements every day. ‘Yung mga nagiging errors namin this game, sana ma-improve and ma-develop pa namin. Then ‘yung mga costly errors, sa shooting, improve lang namin,” added Bernardino, who also spoke on behalf of head coach Cholo Villanueva, who had to rush to the Smart Araneta Coliseum to call the shots for De La Salle University in the UAAP.
The Patriots simply had no answer for the surging Valkyries, who also drew steady contributions from veterans Khate Castillo, Snow Peñaranda, and Pringle Fabruada.
Their experience and composure helped New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas maintain rhythm and control on both ends of the floor.
Castillo finally broke out of her shooting slump, finishing with a game-high 15 points built on three triples.
Peñaranda added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Fabruada provided a huge spark off the bench with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
The Valkyries will look to seal the deal in Game 2 on Wednesday at 4:00 PM at the Ynares Center in Montalban, where a victory would punch their ticket to the Finals.
(C) WMPBL
On the other hand, Tagaytay-Tol sorely missed the presence of sharpshooter Luisa San Juan, who served the first of her two-game suspension after being ejected for two technical fouls in their semifinals-clinching win over Pangasinan-Solar Home last October 12.
The Patriots struggled to find their rhythm offensively, shooting just 28-percent from the field (22-of-77) and 6-of-29 from three-point range.
Justine Domingo led the charge for Tagaytay-Tol with 19 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Stefanie Berberabe posted a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds, albeit on a cold 5-of-18 shooting clip, in a losing effort.
The Scores:
New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas 81 – Castillo 15, Bernardino 14, Peñaranda 13, Fabruada 13, Lozada 6, Claro 5, Torres 5, Bariquit 3, Calang 3, Aquino 2, Manzanares 2, Tongco 0, Sanchez 0
Tagaytay-Tol 62 – Domingo 19, Berberabe 16, Del Carmen 11, Natural 6, Paraiso 5, Santos 3, Pacia 2, Harada 0
Quarterscores: 25-19, 49-38, 63-51, 81-62
