Malta U-18 girls face Moldova in Euro semis with final berth in sight

The Malta women’s U-18 will battle for a place in the final of the European Challengers tournament that is currently being held in Andorra.

Sandro Farrugia’s girls will be up against Moldova in Saturday’s semi-final as they look to return home with a medal around their neck.

The Maltese girls have enjoyed a solid campaign so far in Andorra winning two of the three matches played in La Vella.

Malta have already beaten Moldova in their tournament opener when they trounced the former Soviet Republic 90-37 last Tuesday.

On that day, Ylenia Bonett was the driving force behind the Malta’s dominant victory when she finished as the game’s top scorer with 25 points 14 rebounds and four assists.

A sterner test awaited the Maltese girls on the second round of matches when they faced gold medal favourites Cyprus.

After a balanced opening quarter, the Cypriots pulled clear to steer home to a comfortable 66-31 victory.

But the Maltese girls soon recovered their poised when they ended their group commitments in some style when they crushed hosts Andorra 73-21.

Here, Bonett again took centre stage when she became the first player in the tournament to record a triple double when potting 12 points, managing 11 rebounds and 12 steals.

The Maltese girls will surely relish the chance to complete a double of victory over the Moldovans on Saturday to assure themselves of a place on the podium that would give them the tranquility to face a final showdown with either Cyprus or Andorra on Sunday.