The title bout for this season’s BOV Division One championship tipped off on Sunday with the first round at the Ta’ Qali Pavilion.
Luxol Sherries Estates and Hibernians opened their Finals series with a high-intensity clash that saw the top-seed Hibs edge ahead in the closing moments of a tightly contested encounter.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES 67
HIBERNIANS 69
(8-20, 20-21, 20-12, 19-16)
Hibernians made a strong start, establishing control early in the first quarter.
Neil Cassar opened the scoring with a tip-in layup, and Tedrick Wolfe followed with a composed floater to build momentum. Ivan Demcesen converted from a turnover before Wolfe and Cassar combined again on the break to push Hibernians into a 10–2 lead.
Luxol’s Darron Howard finally got his team going with a layup, but a three-pointer from Paul Attard and a pair of free throws by James Agyeman extended the Hibernians lead.
Caleb Jones McCrary answered for Luxol with a pair of inside finishes, but another Attard three kept the Paolites in front 20–8 at the end of the first quarter.
The second rubber opened with a three from Miguel Mallia that pushed Hibernians further ahead, but Jones McCrary kept Luxol in the contest with a series of inside scores, reaching eight points by the mid-quarter mark.
Nathan Xuereb and Howard began to chip into the deficit, while Adam Azzopardi added a three-pointer to reduce the gap. Howard’s fast-break three cut it to single digits at 21–30.
Still, Hibernians responded through Anton Axiaq and Demcesen, whose composed inside work and free throws restored their advantage. Nenad Bukva and Vukasin Jandric added late baskets for the Violets, but Hibernians maintained a 41–28 lead at the half.
Luxol emerged from the break with renewed energy. Howard led the charge with back-to-back baskets, and Xuereb followed with a crucial three-pointer. Stefan Cappello then knocked down a long-range effort, and Xuereb added a driving layup to cap a 15–4 run that brought Luxol within three points.
Howard’s free throw narrowed the deficit to two, but Wolfe and Demcesen responded with key scores to stem the tide.
A final three-pointer from Cappello briefly reignited Luxol’s hopes, though Hibernians held on to a 53–48 lead heading into the final quarter.
The final stanza delivered all the drama expected of a championship series. Jones McCrary and Howard combined to erase the deficit, levelling the score at 53–53.
Wolfe, who had been instrumental all throughout the playoffs so far for the Paolites, stepped up once again with a string of baskets and crucial free throws, keeping Hibernians narrowly ahead despite consistent pressure.
Axiaq and Matthew Gouder added free throws for Hibs, but Luxol remained within striking distance through Howard’s mid-range shot and a pair of free throws from Jandric.
With the score at 63–64 following a Howard three-pointer, Wolfe produced a powerful dunk off a turnover and followed up with a fading jump shot to extend the lead.
Although Jones McCrary responded immediately with another floater, Wolfe’s final pair of free throws sealed a thrilling victory for Hibernians.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES: D. Howard 22, A. Azzopardi 5, V. Jandric 5, JP Schembri, N. Xuereb 9, N. Bukva 2, C. Jones McCrary 18, M. Matijevic, S. Cappello 6, N. Djakovic.
HIBERNIANS: N. Cassar 6, T. Wolfe 26, P. Attard 2, L. Farrugia, A. Axiaq 6, M. Gouder 2, M. Attard 6, M. Mallia 3, J. Agyeman 7, I. Demcesen 11.
Referees: Z. Dobrosaviljevic, F. Ciurariu, N. Azzopardi.
