STARLITES JSD 75
HIBERNIANS 74
(13-18, 18-10, 22-26, 22-20)
A last-second three-pointer from Starlites JSD’s Max Curran sealed a dramatic victory over Hibernians as last season’s BOV Men’s Knockout title winners retained the trophy.
In a gripping final, Starlites recovered from an early deficit and battled through a tense fourth quarter to snatch victory, setting up an exciting run-up to the end of the regular season.
On Sunday, Hibernians surged ahead early in the tie. Ivan Demcesen opened the scoring with a tip-in, followed by Tedrick Wolfe pushing the lead further with consecutive fast-break layups. Derek Brown’s three-pointer from a turnover extended the advantage to 9-0, forcing Starlites to regroup.
Ian Felice Pace finally broke the drought with a layup before Demcesen restored a nine-point cushion with another putback.
Starlites fought back, with Curran cleaning up a miss for a tip-in, followed by Felice Pace converting a three-pointer. Trevon Reddish-Rhone added free throws to cut the deficit to three, but Matthew Gouder quickly responded with a triple for Hibernians.
Wolfe remained aggressive in transition, finishing a fast break to keep the Paolites in control.
However, Starlites found momentum in the final minute as Reddish-Rhone attacked the paint for back-to-back baskets, narrowing the gap to 18-13 at the end of the first quarter. Paul Ferrante’s Starlites maintained their push into the second period, with Reddish-Rhone capitalising on a turnover to score, followed by Kurt Xuereb’s jump shot
bringing the margin to a single point. Reddish-Rhone continued his offensive surge, sinking a layup to hand Starlites their first lead at 19-18.
Demcesen split free throws to tie the game before Reddish-Rhone and Wolfe traded points from the stripe in a tightly contested stretch.
Xuereb then drilled a three-pointer to put Starlites ahead once more, and a strong inside finish from Curran helped extend the advantage. Starlites entered the break with a 31-28 lead, fuelled by Reddish-Rhone’s relentless scoring inside the paint.
Christian Narciso’s Hibernians came out stronger in the third quarter, with Demcesen converting inside before adding a jumper to reclaim the lead.
Wolfe followed up with a three-pointer, but Reddish-Rhone answered back with a fadeaway jumper.
Demcesen’s putback extended Hibernians’ advantage, only for Starlites to fire back with a three from Matthew Scerri and another deep shot from Xuereb off a second-chance opportunity.
The game remained a tight affair as both teams exchanged baskets, with Brown hitting a crucial three-pointer and Gouder adding a transition layup.
Reddish-Rhone remained a force inside, converting off a turnover before Xuereb’s driving layup tied the game at 49-49. Reddish-Rhone then pushed Starlites ahead with two free throws, only for Brown to respond with another three-pointer. Scerri’s steady free-throw shooting helped Starlites enter the final quarter with a slender 53-52 lead.
Xuereb opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to extend Starlites’ lead, but Brown once again struck from beyond the arc to restore Hibernians’ edge.
Demcesen continued his dominance inside, scoring second-chance points to keep Hibernians ahead, while Wolfe added a mid-range jumper.
Starlites refused to back down, with Scerri sinking a crucial three-pointer and Felice Pace adding another from deep to keep the game within reach. Curran then stepped up in the closing moments, first converting an alley-oop layup and then hammering down a fast-break dunk to level the game at 70-70.
With the game hanging in the balance, Gouder nailed a three-pointer to give Hibernians a late lead. Reddish-Rhone kept Starlites alive with two clutch free throws, but Gouder added another point from the line to make it 74-72.
Just as Hibernians seemed to have the title in sight, Curran delivered the final blow, sinking a fast-break three-pointer off a turnover with four seconds remaining to hand Starlites a dramatic victory, securing the Knockout title in spectacular fashion.
STARLITES JSD: M. Curran 11, A. Aquilina, I. Felice 12, M. Fabri, M. Scerri 16, C. Paul, K. Xuereb 13, T. Reddish-Rhone 23.
HIBERNIANS: N. Cassar 4, T. Wolfe 21, D. Brown 19, P. Attard, L. Farrugia, A. Axiaq 2, M. Gouder 12, M. Attard 1, M. Mallia, I. Demcesen 15, S. Simic.
Referees: B. Vassallo, Z. Dobrosaviljevic, N. Rincon.
