Afril Bernardino’s dominant double-double performance powered New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas past Solar Home-Pangasinan, snapping the Suns’ three-game winning streak with a commanding 100-61 victory to close out the first round of the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League regular season presented by Akari, Sunday afternoon at the Olivarez Gym in Tagaytay.
Bernardino finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds, alongside four blocks, three assists, and two steals, fueling the Valkyries’ decisive second-half surge that secured their fourth win in five outings.
With the triumph, Bluefire-Batangas momentarily seized control of first place in the six-team tournament backed by Uratex, Black Mamba, Red Dynasty, and Pocari Sweat.
Fresh off a two-week break, Bernardino and the Valkyries are now in prime position to capitalize on their momentum. A loss by San Juan-DN Steel against Discovery-Rizal later in the day would give Bluefire-Batangas solo first place at the season’s halfway point.
(C) WMPBL
“It is a bounce back win for us. We lost against San Juan in our last game, but this time, we really got ready for this team. [Solar Home-Pangasinan] is well-coached, well-structured, kaya it is a good character win for us. This is how I want a team to be bouncing back,” said Valkyries head coach Cholo Villanueva.
The turning point came in the third quarter when Bluefire-Batangas turned a slim 45-40 lead into a commanding 58-42 advantage with a 13-2 run, capped by back-to-back triples from Rhea Sanchez and Gilas Women guard Khate Castillo.
Solar Home-Pangasinan stayed within reach at 58-48, but Snow Penaranda, Tin Bariquit, and Camille Claro buried clutch threes to give the Valkyries a 73-52 cushion heading into the final frame.
The Valkyries sustained their momentum in the fourth quarter, with Alyssa Villamor, Bernardino, Bariquit, and Claro igniting another 13-2 run to establish an insurmountable 86-55 lead with under seven minutes remaining.
The difference was clear from beyond the arc. Bluefire-Batangas drained 14 of 38 attempts from deep, while the Suns managed only 2 of 23.
Pringle Fabruada chipped in 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting along with eight rebounds and an assist. Villamor added 12 points on a hot 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range with two boards.
Penaranda contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, while Charmine Torres provided seven points, three steals, two rebounds, and one assist.
(C) WMPBL
The loss dropped Solar Home-Pangasinan to third place with a 3-2 record, halting their three-game streak.
Ara Abaca led the Suns with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting along with five rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. Gabi Bade was limited to 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting but still tallied 11 rebounds, seven assists, and six steals.
Fresh from her NBL1 stint with the Goldfields Giants in Australia, Hazelle Yam delivered quality minutes off the bench with 11 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
The Scores:
New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas (100) – Bernadino 20, Fabruada 14, Villamor 12, Penaranda 11, Torres 7, Castillo 6, Tongco 6, Sanchez 6, Claro 6, Bariquit 5, Aquino 3, Arciga 2, Manzanares 2, Calang 0, Lozada 0.
Solar Home-Pangasinan (61) – Abaca 13, Bade 12, Yam 11, Miranda 9, Sario 4, Binaohan 4, Larrosa 4, Angeles 2, Cancio 2, Go 0, Salapong 0, Medina 0, Batnag 0, Gonzales 0, Ordoveza 0.
Quarterscores: 23-19, 42-35, 73-52, 100-61.
