Following the John Tabone Shield, finalists Hibernians and Luxol Sherries Estates continued their strong run of form with two straight victories in the space of three days. The Paolites pushed past Athleta and Valletta, while the Violets evaded two comebacks from Depiro and Athleta to take full points.
Meanwhile, Depiro had mixed fortunes last weekend as they recovered to push Tigers BT aside on Sunday.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES 95
ATOZ ATHLETA 93
(27-19, 20-21, 29-25, 19-28)
Luxol sustained their strong season start, defeating Athleta in a well-fought contest on Sunday.
The Violets surged into a 10-0 lead within three minutes, with Darron Howard and Caleb Jones McCrary exploiting Athleta turnovers to convert layups.
Stefan Cappello’s effort pushed Luxol’s lead to 12-0 before Robert Vitale broke Athleta’s scoring drought with a three-pointer. Athleta, led by Kurt James, reduced the gap, but Luxol’s scoring from Howard and Nathan Xuereb kept them ahead, finishing the first quarter 27-19.
In the second quarter, James powered a near-solo effort for Athleta, trimming the deficit to four. However, Howard and Vukasin Jandric’s three-pointers stretched Luxol’s lead back up to 47-40 by half-time.
Luxol’s intensity continued in the third, with Jandric and Cappello extending their lead to 14. Although Athleta fought back, driven by James’ constant scoring, Luxol’s accuracy at the freethrow line, particularly Howard’s calm attempts, ensured a hard-fought victory in the closing moments.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES D. Howard, I. Azzopardi, V. Jandric, N. Xuereb, N. Bukva, C. Jones McCrary, M. Matijevic, S. Cappello.
ATOZ ATHLETA C. Matthews, K. James, B. Zammit, R. Vitale, I. Xuereb, L. Borg, E. Abela, A. Bozanic, J. Cefai, G. Cassar.
Referees: F. Ciurariu, G. Barbara, N. Azzopardi.
TIGERS BT 68
SIGMA DEPIRO 104
(22-16, 17-27, 8-39, 21-22)
After their tough loss to Luxol, Depiro bounced back with a decisive win over Tigers BT on Sunday.
The Tigers took an early lead, spurred by Matthew Brown and Jerson Jagna’s scoring to establish a 16-7 advantage. Serge Hamparsoumian kickstarted his impressive debut by adding points from the free-throw line, keeping the game competitive in the first rubber. However, Depiro’s David Bugeja and Alessio Trapani helped regain the lead in the second quarter, where key three-pointers shifted the momentum in Depiro’s favour, ending the half 43-39.
Depiro pulled away in the third quarter, with Dominic Tomasi and Nikola Bozovic capitalising on Tigers’ turnovers, and pushing the lead to double digits. Bugeja and Sean Galea’s shots helped Depiro dominate, reaching an 82-47 lead by the end of the quarter.
The Tigers fought hard, with Hamparsoumian amassing 28 points overall, but Depiro’s depth and consistency on both ends saw them close the game with a convincing win.
TIGERS BT J. Jagna, M. Brown, S. Hamparsoumian, K. Micaller, M. Jalkh, J. Lisondra, S. Saakian.
SIGMA DEPIRO S. Galea, D. Bugeja, N. Bozovic, N. Zivkovic, L. Stefanovic, A. Trapani, D. Tomasi, S. Kenely, M. Brincat, C. Cornelius, M. Debattista.
Referees F. Ciurariu, M. De Flavia, N. Azzopardi.
VALLETTA LIONS 62
HIBERNIANS 95
(16-28, 16-23, 17-26, 13-18)
Hibernians maintained their unbeaten record in all competitions with a convincing win over Valletta.
The Paolites opened strong, thanks to Matthew Gouder’s two quick three-pointers, setting the tone early. Derek Brown and Ivan Demcesen kept the Paolites on track, with a commanding lead sealed by Tedrick Wolfe’s acrobatic dunk, ending the first quarter at 28-16.
Valletta attempted a comeback in the second quarter, led by Eric Terry’s inside play, but Hibernians responded with mid-range shots from Brown and Matthew Attard, holding a solid 51-32 lead at halftime.
The third quarter saw coach Christian Narciso’s clan widen the gap further, with Wolfe and Demcesen’s drives proving too much for Valletta.
Despite efforts from Nicholas Grech and Piotr Stelmach, Hibernians’ dominant offence continued, securing a decisive win to remain undefeated this season.
VALLETTA LIONS N. Grech, L. Anderson, A. Attard, P. Stelmach, A. Attard, D. Schembri, J. Camilleri, N. Vasovic, S. Vincic, E. Terry.
HIBERNIANS N. Cassar, T. Wolfe, D. Brown, P. Attard, L. Attard, V. Kustudja, A. Axiaq, M. Gouder, M. Attard, M. Mallia, I. Demcesen, S. Simic.
Referees G. Barbara, M. De Flavia, F. Ciurariu.
Friday’s games
Earlier on in the weekend, Luxol edged past Depiro in a game which could have provided a late comeback from the Mtarfa side in the fourth quarter.
Tomasi’s early three-pointer gave Depiro an initial lead, but Luxol’s Jones McCrary soon answered back. Cameron Cornelius added several layups, helping Depiro close the first quarter narrowly ahead at 21-19.
However, Luxol responded strongly in the second quarter, with Howard leading a series of fastbreak plays and Nenad Bukva converting turnovers into points. By halftime, Luxol had gained a 44-31 lead.
Depiro pushed back in the third quarter, with Nikola Bozovic working effectively in the paint and Galea and Bugeja landing three-pointers to keep the gap manageable at 66-51.
In the final period, Tomasi’s offensive rebounds and Bozovic’s consistent inside presence brought Depiro within single digits, but Luxol held firm despite a late Depiro surge.
In the other game of the evening, Hibernians displayed their offensive strength in a high-scoring contest against Athleta.
Hibernians established an early lead with scoring contributions from across their squad, while Athleta worked to keep up with timely baskets.
The second half saw Hibernians maintain a steady pace, managing to counter Athleta’s attempts to close the gap, eventually taking the victory at the final buzzer.
SIGMA DEPIRO 72
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES 75
(21-19, 10-25, 20-22, 21-9)
SIGMA DEPIRO S. Galea 5, D. Bugeja 11, N. Bozovic 14, L. Stefanovic, D. Tomasi 18, S. Kenely, M. Brincat, C. Cornelius 24.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES D. Howard 21, I. Azzopardi, V. Jandric 16, N. Xuereb 9, N. Bukva 4, C. Jones McCrary 21, M. Matijevic 2, S. Cappello 2.
Referees F. Ciurariu, M. De Flavia, B. Vassallo.
HIBERNIANS 106
ATOZ ATHLETA 91
(28-25, 20-21, 28-33, 30-12)
HIBERNIANS: N. Cassar 4, T. Wolfe 26, D. Brown 28, P. Attard 1, L. Attard, A. Axiaq 9, M. Gouder 14, M. Attard 4, M. Mallia, I. Demcesen 20.
ATOZ ATHLETA: C. Matthews 19, K. James 30, B. Zammit, R. Vitale 12, I. Xuereb 14, L. Borg 9, J. Garcia Cefai 7, G. Cassar.
Referees B. Vassallo, G. Barbara, F. Ciurariu.
STANDINGS: Hibernians 6; SiGMA Depiro, Luxol Sherries Estates 4; Valletta Lions, AtoZ Athleta 3; Starlites JSD*, Tigers BT 2.
*Starlites only played one game so far.
