Akari-Rizal averted a major collapse, showing nerves of steel in overtime to survive Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire, 92-88, in Game 1 and move within one win of the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League championship on Wednesday at Hoops Haven in Pasay City.
Mar Prado, the top overall pick in the 2026 Draft, delivered the biggest plays in the extra period. She sank one of two free throws before converting a driving layup to give the Sparks the lead for good, 85-84, with 2:23 remaining.
Camille Sambile then made her presence felt, knocking down a short stab to extend Akari-Rizal’s advantage to 87-84 with 1:46 left.
Although Afril Bernardino answered with a basket on the other end, Allana Lim responded with a reverse layup. Then Sambile knocked down both free throws to stretch the Sparks’ lead to 91-86.
Batangas-New Zealand’s Rocel Dionisio converted a layup with 6.8 seconds remaining to trim the deficit to 91-88, but Prado split her free throws on the ensuing possession to seal the victory for Akari-Rizal.
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“I have to give it to the girls. We lost our poise, and we became tentative when Batangas started catching up. We threw the basketball away, that’s why they came back. But we regained our confidence, we played tough defensively, and I was telling them, when things are not going for us offensively, we’re gonna make up for it on the other end,” said Akari head coach Derrick Pumaren.
“We made stops. Camille made big shots in the end. We refused to lose. We did not give up.”
The Sparks appeared to be in complete control after building a 21-point lead in the third quarter. However, the Lady Valkyries stormed back behind Bernardino, Pringle Fabruada, and MG Calang, eventually taking a 69-62 lead with 6:48 left in the fourth period.
Akari-Rizal, however, recovered just in time as clutch baskets from Prado, Sambile, and Lim forced overtime.
After Sambile split her free throws to give the Sparks a 77-76 edge with 36.1 seconds left in regulation, Khate Castillo drilled a booming three-pointer from the right corner to put the Lady Valkyries back on top, 79-77, with 28.8 seconds remaining.
Sambile then attacked an open lane for the game-tying basket before Bernardino missed on the other end, sending the contest to overtime tied at 79.
Raiza Palmera-Dy powered the Sparks’ first-half surge, scoring 16 of her team-high 20 points before finishing with 20 points overall. Sambile added 19 points and seven rebounds while posting a team-best plus-15 in 22 minutes and 51 seconds of action.
Lim contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, while Prado finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
Shemaiah Abatayo also shone with 12 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and two steals in the win.
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Akari-Rizal will look to dethrone defending champion Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire in Game 2 on Sunday at Paco Arena in Manila.
Two-time league MVP Bernardino paced the Lady Valkyries with 23 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and four blocks.
Fabruada added 19 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 50.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Castillo chipped in 12 points, while Calang scored 11. Snow Peñaranda contributed nine points and 13 rebounds but also fouled out late in regulation.
The Scores:
Akari-Rizal 92 — Palmera-Dy 20, Sambile 19, Lim 17, Prado 14, Abatayo 12, Pontejos 8, Ventura 2, Angeles 0, Adlawan 0.
Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire 88 — Bernardino 23, Fabruada 19, Castillo 12, Calang 11, Peñaranda 9, Tongco 7, Dionisio 4, Aquino 3, Torres 0, Manzanares 0.
Quarterscores: 26-16, 48-32, 62-58, 79-79, 92-88.
