Bernardino catches fire, powers Navy

Afril Bernardino stuffed the stat sheet to power Philippine Navy to a victorious debut against Cavite-TOL, 70-57, in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League last Sunday at the Enderun Gym.

Bernardino, a pillar of the Gilas Women program, shone with a game-high 28 points on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting, along with 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks, to lead the Lady Sailors to their first victory.

Her stellar performance helped the Lady Sailors fend off a spirited late rally by the Patriots in the final frame.

Navy relied on its suffocating defense, holding Cavite scoreless for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.

Their rock-solid defensive stand allowed the Lady Sailors to establish their largest lead, 63-39, punctuated by Bernardino’s short stab with 8:13 remaining.

Luisa San Juan and Erika Jimenez led a comeback attempt for the Patriots with an 18-7 run that trimmed the deficit to 13 points.

However, their efforts fell short as Navy hung tough to secure the win.

“I think it was defense that helped us win this game,” Lady Sailors playing coach Ewon Arayi, who opted to sit out and observe, said.

Trixie Antiquera added 11 points for Navy, knocking down three triples to complement Bernardino’s dominant performance.

For Cavite-TOL, Jimenez and San Juan each scored 10 points, with Jimenez also grabbing 14 rebounds.

However, both struggled with their shooting as Jimenez converted just one of her eight attempts while San Juan went 4-of-13 from the field.

Meanwhile, Raiza Palmera-Dy recorded a double victory on the same day after she tallied seven points, five assists, and three rebounds to lead Discovery to a dominant 108-60 rout of Imus SIS-VBL.

Later in the day, she guided Far Eastern University to a 69-45 triumph over EZ Jersey.