Depiro, Valletta continue battle for final playoff berth
Without even playing, Hibernians were confirmed as the top seed for this season’s playoffs as Luxol Sherries Estates charged past Starlites JSD as a long weekend of local basketball came to a close on Monday.
The fight for the final playoff berth between SiGMA Depiro and Valletta Lions ensued as the two teams took important wins against AtoZ Athleta and Tigers BT respectively.
STARLITES JSD 74
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES 92
(11-31, 22-19, 8-22, 33-20)
Luxol wasted little time asserting their dominance on Monday, opening the game with an accurate shooting display. JP Schembri struck first from beyond the arc before Darron Howard and Stefan Cappello followed suit, pushing Luxol into a double-digit lead within minutes.
Starlites, without Max Curran in the lineup, struggled to contest Luxol’s perimeter barrage. The Malta champions attempted to respond through Kai Fabri and Ian Felice Pace, but Howard’s shot-making remained clinical. By the end of the first quarter, Luxol had already built a commanding 31-11 lead.
Howard continued his assault to start the second quarter, converting a layup before draining a floating three-pointer. Starlites fought back with baskets from Chris Paul and Matthew Scerri, briefly cutting the deficit to 14, but Luxol had an answer for every attempt. Cappello knocked down a deep three-pointer before Howard extended the gap again. By halftime, Duncan Fenech’s Luxol remained firmly in control at 50-33.
The third quarter mirrored the first, with Schembri opening the period with another three-pointer before Howard and Caleb Jones-McCrary found success in transition. Starlites briefly trimmed the margin with an inside finish from Reddish-Rhone but and Jones-McCrary re-established Luxol’s dominance. Howard added a tip-in and a fast-break layup, ensuring Luxol entered the final quarter with a 72-41 advantage.
Starlites attempted a late push through Felice Pace and Fabri, but the damage had already been done. Howard continued his scoring tear, with Cappello adding the finishing touches to Luxol’s win.
STARLITES JSD: A. Aquilina 6, K. Fabri 9, I. Felice 9, M. Fabri 3, M. Scerri 4, C. Paul 17, K. Xuereb 2, T. Reddish-Rhone 24.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES: D. Howard 32, A. Azzopardi 2, V. Jandric 7, J. Schembri 15, N. Xuereb 5, N. Bukva 2, C. Jones 14, S. Cappello 13, N. Djakovic 2.
Referees: G. Barbara, N. Rincon, M. De Flavia.
SIGMA DEPIRO 89
ATOZ ATHLETA 81
(27-23, 17-17, 20-18, 25-23)
Depiro got off to a dream start, racing to an 11-0 lead with early baskets from Cameron Cornelius, Brandon Porter, and Nikola Bozovic.
Athleta struggled to contain Depiro’s fast-paced offence, but Robert Vitale and Kurt James began to find their rhythm, keeping the visitors within touching distance.
Porter continued to impose himself inside, scoring twice in the paint, while Sean Galea added a layup to maintain Depiro’s lead. Athleta responded late in the quarter with free throws from Caleb Matthews, closing the gap to 27-23.
James opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws before powering his way inside to level the score at 27-27. Depiro responded through Miguel Brincat, who converted two transition layups, but Athleta’s defence tightened, making scoring difficult.
Vitale remained active on the perimeter, while Maxwell Amoafo found success in the paint, keeping Athleta within striking distance. A well-timed three-pointer from David Bugeja gave Depiro some breathing room, and Cornelius capitalised on a turnover to extend the lead to 40-35.
James kept his side within reach with a deep three-pointer, but Porter’s late layup ensured Depiro held a 44-40 halftime lead.
The third quarter remained a tight affair, with Vitale striking first before Porter’s offensive rebounding allowed him to score a crucial put-back dunk. James drilled a fast-break three-pointer to level the game at 46-46, but Porter and Galea restored Depiro’s lead with quick inside baskets. Athleta briefly snatched the advantage with a three-pointer from Vitale, only for Bozovic to answer back. With both teams trading blows, Bugeja’s free throws and Cornelius’ late transition score gave Depiro a narrow 64-58 lead entering the final quarter.
Athleta made their final push with Matthews and James keeping them in contention, but Cornelius remained composed under pressure. With under two minutes to play, Luca Borg brought Athleta within a single point, but Cornelius responded with clutch free throws and a fast-break layup before Porter secured the win with late free throws.
SIGMA DEPIRO: S. Galea 6, D. Bugeja 16, N. Bozovic 10, L. Stefanovic 2, D. Tomasi, B. Porter 25, M. Brincat 9, C. Cornelius 21.
ATOZ ATHLETA: K. Fabri, R. Vitale 18, C. Matthews 12, K. James 26, M. Spiteri 4, A. Bozanic 6, L. Borg 4, M. Amoafo 7, G. Cassar 4.
Referees: B. Vassallo, F. Ciurariu, Z. Dobrosaviljevic.
TIGERS BT 93
VALLETTA LIONS 124
(16-25, 19-36, 14-25, 44-38)
Valletta stamped their authority early, with Eric Terry opening the game with a tip-in before throwing down a dunk moments later. Piotr Stelmach soon found his range from deep, converting multiple three-pointers as Valletta quickly built a sizeable lead. Tigers struggled to keep up with the Citizens’ transition play, allowing Terry, Stelmach, and Serge Hamparsoumian to capitalise on fast-break opportunities. Andre Attard momentarily cut the deficit with a three-pointer, but Stelmach’s relentless shooting ensured Valletta took a 25-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Hamparsoumian and Terry continued Valletta’s scoring spree in the second quarter, both finding success inside. The Tigers’ defence continued to crumble under pressure, as Stelmach and Stefan Vincic extended Valletta’s advantage beyond 20 points. Francesco Mifsud Bonnici and Nicholas Grech struck from deep, compounding Tigers’ struggles. Kendall Jordan provided some resistance with inside baskets and a three-pointer, but Valletta remained in complete control, entering halftime with a commanding 61-35 lead.
The third quarter followed a similar pattern, with Vasovic and Stelmach leading Valletta’s offensive charge. Tigers had no answer for Valletta’s ball movement, allowing multiple fast-break scores. David Schembri and Grech continued to punish Tigers’ defensive lapses, while Jordan fought valiantly to keep his side afloat. By the end of the quarter, Valletta had extended their lead to 86-49.
The final rubber saw Jordan continue his scoring spree, attacking the rim repeatedly, but Valletta refused to take their foot off the gas. Vasovic, Stelmach, and Grech all added to their tallies, while Vincic delivered a dagger three-pointer. Tigers managed to add some late points through Attard and Jordan, but Valletta’s dominance was never in doubt.
TIGERS BT: M. Farrugia, A. Attard 9, K. Jordan 33, J. Lisondra 8, M. Baldacchino 6, A. Varacallo 30, S. Saakian 5, D. Militello 2.
VALLETTA LIONS: N. Grech 15, F. Mifsud Bonnici 4, N. Da Silva 2, P. Stelmach 33, S. Hamparsoumian 15, D. Schembri 6, N. Vasovic 27, S. Vincic 7, E. Terry 15.
Referees: B. Vassallo, M. De Flavia, G. Russo.
STANDINGS
Hibernians 30; Luxol Sherries Estates 27; Starlites JSD, Valletta Lions 24; SiGMA Depiro 23; AtoZ Athleta 20; Tigers BT 17.
