Well-rested and raring to go, top-seeded New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas and No. 2 San Juan-DN Steel return to action after securing automatic Final Four berths in the best-of-three 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League semifinals today at the Villar Coliseum.
After finishing the regular season presented by Akari at the top spot with an 8-2 record, the Valkyries now turn their focus to the semifinals, determined to prove that their strong run was no mere regular-season streak.
They will heavily rely on the all-around brilliance of Afril Bernardino, who posted monster numbers in the preliminaries and was the driving force behind New Zealand-Bluefire’s rise to the top of the standings.
But Bernardino can’t do it alone. The Valkyries will also need Snow Peñaranda and Pringle Fabruada to deliver their best performances as they face a streaking Tagaytay-Tol squad riding high on confidence after its quarterfinal triumph at 6:00 PM.
The Patriots are a far cry from the team that dropped their first four games of the tournament. With Stefanie Berberabe, Monique Del Carmen, and Luisa San Juan all clicking in rhythm, Tagaytay-Tol is expected to challenge New Zealand-Bluefire Batangas in a highly competitive Game 1.
“Yun pa rin, tutuloy-tuloy pa rin namin ‘yung hard work na ginagawa namin kasi actually, surprise lahat ‘tong nangyayari. Kasi nag-start kami sa bottom eh, alam niyo naman ‘yun, nag-start kami 0-4,” said Tagaytay-Tol head coach Tito Reyes, recalling their rough start in the preliminaries.
“Through hard work lang, ‘yung heart ng mga bata, ‘yun talaga ang nagpapanalo sa amin,” he added.
In an equally compelling matchup, the Lady Knights will square off with Discovery-Rizal in a battle between two veteran squads in the opening game at 4:00 PM in the tournament backed by Uratex, Black Mamba, Red Dynasty, Aktive Balls, and Pocari Sweat.
Janine Pontejos and Stefhanie Ventura are expected to be major factors for San Juan-DN Steel. But the Lady Knights will also need Chack Cabinbin to step up and efficiently run the offense against a disciplined Perlas side led by veteran tactician Derrick Pumaren.
Meanwhile, Discovery-Rizal’s quarterfinal win opened opportunities for Angel Anies and Camille Sambile to showcase their skills. Still, Tantoy Ferrer remained the team’s steadiest presence, leading with experience and composure on both ends of the floor.
Ferrer is expected to be the focal point of the offense once again, particularly if Raiza Palmera-Dy — who missed the quarterfinal win over RK Hoops-Quezon City — and Allana Lim, who played limited minutes, continue to be hampered by their respective illnesses.
