Valkyries Dominate Sparks, Hand Akari First Loss of the Season

Defending champion Batangas–New Zealand Bluefire made a powerful statement, completely shutting down Akari to secure a convincing 72–56 victory and hand the Sparks their first loss in the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) regular season on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The matchup served as a rematch of last season’s finals, with Akari now bolstered by the former Discovery core that reached the championship stage.

The Valkyries wasted no time asserting control, building a commanding 39–22 halftime lead and never looking back. They improved to 3–1 with their second straight win in the Aktive-backed tournament.

“Of course Akari is a very strong team in this tournament. They are very structured and well-organized because they are well-coached, so this is a big win for us,” said Batangas–New Zealand Bluefire head coach Cholo Villanueva.

Snow Peñaranda sparked the early surge, while Afril Bernardino, Khate Castillo, and Jill Talas provided steady two-way contributions to keep Akari at bay throughout the game.

Castillo led the Valkyries with 16 points, Peñaranda added 15 points and eight rebounds, Bernardino posted a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Talas and Camille Claro contributed 10 and eight points respectively.

Akari dropped to 2–1 after struggling to find offensive rhythm against Batangas–New Zealand’s stout defense. Allana Lim led the Sparks with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while LJ Candelario and Shemiah Abatayo added 10 and nine points. Raiza Palmera-Dy was limited to just two points on 1-of-8 shooting.