Sparks Clinch Semifinals Berth with Dominant Victory Over Valkyries

Allana Lim exploded for 29 points as Akari-Rizal punched their ticket to the semifinals of the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) with a commanding 74–58 revenge win over Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire on Sunday night at the Uratex Showroom in Muntinlupa.

With one game remaining in the elimination round, the Sparks improved their league-best record to 8–1, riding a six-game winning streak to lock up a top-two finish and an outright semifinal spot.

“I think we really needed this win. We gained that psychological edge by finally beating Batangas, but credit goes to the players—they brought tremendous intensity and played extremely well,” said Akari-Rizal head coach Derrick Pumaren.

After a close first quarter, the Sparks pulled away in the second period with a 22–11 run to take a 40–29 halftime lead. The Lady Valkyries mounted a strong comeback at the start of the third, scoring seven straight points from Afril Bernardino and Khate Castillo to trim the deficit to 36–40. However, Akari-Rizal responded with a powerful 18–5 surge to extend their lead to 58–41 heading into the fourth quarter.

The victory allowed the Sparks to erase the memory of their only loss in the tournament—a 56–72 defeat to the same Lady Valkyries in the first round.

“It was more about the team’s attitude. In our last game against Batangas, they simply outworked us. Today, we emphasized patience and matching their intensity—we had to outwork them,” Pumaren added.

Lim led the way with a superb 13-of-19 shooting performance, adding seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. Camille Sambile contributed 12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while Mar Prado posted 11 points and nine rebounds. Raiza Palmera-Dy controlled the offense with 13 assists (10 in the first half), along with four points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Akari-Rizal will wrap up its elimination round schedule against Pasig-Queenpin next Sunday.

Meanwhile, Batangas-New Zealand saw its five-game winning streak come to an end, dropping to 6–2 but remaining in solo second place. Bernardino was the lone Valkyrie in double figures with 14 points, though she shot just 5-of-17 from the field. She added nine rebounds, six blocks, four steals, and three assists. Andrea Tongco and Queenie Aquino scored nine and eight points respectively, while Snow Peñaranda was limited to six points and 11 rebounds, and Khate Castillo managed just four points on 1-of-9 shooting.