Defending champion Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire held off a determined Biñan-Tatak Gel side, 59-58, to book a return trip to the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Finals on Wednesday at the Parañaque Coliseum.
Andrea Tongco delivered the biggest shot of the night, knocking down the go-ahead three-pointer from the left corner to give the Valkyries a 59-58 lead with just nine seconds remaining.
The Angels still had one final opportunity to steal the victory, but Chack Cabinbin lost control of the ball as Afril Bernardino came up with a crucial steal to secure Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire’s return to the Finals of the tournament backed by Aktive.
(C) WMPBL
“It was a back-and-forth game. Hats off to the Biñan coaching staff, Coach Jack (Azcueta), for having a really good game,” said Batangas-New Zealand head coach Cholo Villanueva.
“But for us, the girls didn’t want to give up. It was all their effort, their hard work, especially Andrea Tongco, who hit that game-winning shot,” he added.
Bernardino finished with a team-high 15 points and 20 rebounds, while Tongco turned in one of her best performances of the season with 14 points.
Pringle Fabruada contributed 11 points off the bench, while Snow Peñaranda posted a double-double with 10 points and 18 rebounds.
Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire tightened its defense to start the fourth quarter, holding Biñan-Tatak Gel scoreless for the first six minutes and 45 seconds while unleashing an 11-0 run to erase a seven-point deficit and take a 54-50 lead.
The Angels, however, responded with an 8-2 run to regain a 58-56 advantage before Tongco drilled the eventual game-winning triple with nine seconds left.
The Valkyries will face the winner of the other semifinal matchup between Akari-Rizal and RK Hoops-Quezon City 10ACT in the Finals.
Luisa San Juan led Biñan-Tatak Gel with 12 points, while Angel Quinco and Monique Del Carmen chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the losing effort.
The Scores:
Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire 59 – Bernardino 15, Tongco 14, Fabruada 11, Peñaranda 10, Calang 5, Torres 4, Castillo 0, Lozada 0, Claro 0, Talas 0, Bariquit 0
Biñan-Tatak Gel 58 – San Juan 12, Quingco 11, Del Carmen 10, Soriano 9, Domingo 5, Abaca 4, Pacia 2, Nabalan 2, Faraon 2, Cabinbin 1, Paraiso 0.
Quarterscores: 18-12, 31-30, 43-50, 59-58
