Afril Bernardino carried the fight, while Snow Peñaranda delivered the decisive blows as New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas outlasted Discovery-Perlas, 79-77, to claim the first professional championship in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on Sunday night at the Enderun Gym.
With the Valkyries leading by six points, 76-70, Allana Lim and Raiza Palmera-Dy refused to go down without a fight. The two mounted a 7-0 rally that gave Perlas a slim 77-76 lead with less than two minutes remaining.
But Peñaranda powered her way inside, scoring over the outstretched arms of Lovejoy Canderario for the go-ahead basket, giving New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas a 78-77 edge at the 1:30 mark.
Discovery-Rizal had multiple opportunities to retake the lead, but their rally ultimately fizzled as exhaustion set in. Peñaranda, who went 1-of-4 from the free-throw line across two trips, eventually sealed the victory for her team.
(C) WMPBL Images
Peñaranda finished with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Newly-crowned Season MVP Bernardino — who kept the Valkyries in contention throughout — tallied 18 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and four steals en route to earning the Finals MVP award.
“Speechless, sobra. Pagdating pa lang dito, pagtapos pa lang ng Game 1, gusto ko na ulit matapos ‘to. Gusto ko na ulit mag-Game 2 para matapos na ‘to. Sobrang, sobrang saya ko talaga,” said Peñaranda.
“Lagi naming iniisip na nasa iisang page kami lahat, na gusto naming manalo. Siguro ‘yung kung gaano lang kami katibay ng mga teammates ko. Sobrang effort [nila], masaya lang, walang pressure,” added Bernardino.
Khate Castillo caught fire in the first half before going scoreless in the second, finishing with 17 points on five triples and four rebounds. Pringle Fabruada also contributed 16 points and eight rebounds in the title-clinching win in the tournament presented by Uratex, Black Mamba, Red Dynasty, Aktiv Balls, and Pocari Sweat.
“I’m very proud. We’re playing on a home floor ng kalaban. The crowd was for them, but the players didn’t want to give up, and they trusted each other. It’s a mixture of heart and hard work,” said New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas head coach Cholo Villanueva.
(C) WMPBL Images
The Valkyries capped a dominant championship run with an overall 12-2 record. They finished the regular season with a league-best 8-2 mark before sweeping Tagaytay-Tol in the semifinals.
They then defeated Discovery-Rizal in the Finals to claim the first professional title in WMPBL history.
On the other side, Lim led Perlas with 24 points and six rebounds. Palmera-Dy added 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while Tacky Tacatac contributed 13 points.
However, Tantoy Ferrer was held to just seven points in the heartbreaking defeat.
The Scores:
New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas 79 – Peñaranda 20, Bernardino 18, Castillo 17, Fabruada 16, Tongco 4, Lozada 2, Manzanares 2, Aquino 0, Claro 0, Bariquit 0
Discovery-Rizal 77 – Lim 24, Palmera-Dy 15, Tacatac 13, Candelario 7, Ferrer 7, Sambile 4, Sison 3, Anies 2, Galicia 2
Quarterscores: 21-22, 44-46, 64-59, 79-77
