A week after Maltese basketball’s curtain raiser – the St James Hospital Super Cup – contestants Starlites Revive and Hibernians were back in action at the Ta’ Qali Pavilion, both showing supremacy as they overcame The Plaza Depiro and AtoZ Athleta respectively in this season’s John Tabone Shield opening round.
HIBERNIANS 91
ATOZ ATHLETA 53
(18-12, 23-13, 28-11, 22-17)
Champions Hibernians bounced back from their Super Cup disappointment on Sunday, powering past Athleta with a commanding display in the afternoon’s first encounter.
Elijah Simmons was sharp from distance and perfect at the line, finishing with 13 points, including two triples and five from five free throws.
Ayomide Ajiboye anchored the paint with 12 points on six of nine shooting while pulling down 14 rebounds to secure a double-double. Captain Ivan Demcesen chipped in 14 points, punishing Athleta inside, while Matthew Attard’s four three-pointers saw him finish as the team’s top scorer with 16.
Deonte Jackson added 11 from a mixture of transition play and outside shooting, and Piotr Stelmach seems to have gelled immediately with his new team, bringing efficiency around the rim with 10.
For Athleta, captain Robert Vitale, and debutants Wesley Jordan and Duane Goodman Jr carried much of the load, Goodman Jr leading all scorers with 18 points, with Vitale and Jordan both in double figures.
Athleta were undone by poor efficiency, with costly turnovers feeding Hibs’ fast breaks and erratic perimeter shooting preventing any sustained challenge.
The contest began with Jackson and Simmons firing the Paolites into an early lead before Jordan replied in the paint.
Goodman Jr added free throws and a step-back jumper, but Stelmach’s inside presence and Attard’s shooting widened the gap to six by the first interval.
The second quarter proved decisive as Ajiboye dominated the boards and Simmons extended the advantage from beyond the arc.
Luke Farrugia joined in with a three-pointer, while Goodman Jr and Vitale fought to keep Athleta close. Their turnovers, however, continually invited pressure, and by half-time Hibernians had opened a commanding double-digit cushion.
After the restart, Athleta’s inefficiencies became more glaring. While Goodman Jr struck from deep and Vitale added points around the rim, their defence struggled to contain Demcesen’s post play and Attard’s outside shooting.
Simmons remained composed at the line, and Ajiboye thrived off second-chance opportunities, stretching the lead beyond reach.
The fourth quarter highlighted the margin between the sides, with Attard and Jackson still converting as Christian Narciso’s clan continued to capitalise on Athleta’s turnovers.
Although Goodman Jr closed with an alley-oop finish and Jordan added late baskets, the Paolites eased to a 38-point victory that underlined their sharpness and punished Athleta’s lack of cohesion in their first outing with a reshaped roster.
HIBERNIANS: N. Cassar 4, E. Simmons 13, A. Ajiboye 12, L. Attard 2, L. Farrugia 3, P. Stelmach 10, M. Gouder 2, D. Jackson 11, M. Attard 16, T. Gjurovski 2, I. Demcesen 14, S. Simic 2.
ATOZ ATHLETA: K. Fabri, S. Ebelashvili 2, R. Vitale 13, I. Bonett 3, D. Goodman JR 18, K. Camilleri 3, M. Spiteri 1, A. Bozanic 2, L. Borg, J. Cefai 1, W. Jordan 10, G. Cassar.
Referees: T. Rincon, M. De Flavia, N. Da Silva.
THE PLAZA DEPIRO 52
STARLITES REVIVE 83
(17-22, 15-15, 10-25, 10-21)
Starlites built on their Super Cup triumph with another dominant display, this time overpowering Depiro.
The Naxxar side’s balanced attack was again evident, with Ian Felice Pace leading the way on both ends with 15 points and Jackson Threadgill proving clinical at the line and from range to finish with 11 points and a rebound shy of a double-double.
Musa Jallow and captain Matthew Scerri offered further firepower, while Miguel Fabri gave consistent production as both a scorer and secondary playmaker to bag 13 points as the team’s third double-digit scorer on the day.
Depiro relied heavily on captain Nikola Bozovic, who was efficient inside and kept his side competitive through the opening stages, eventually going on to top the scoring chart with 19 points.
New Depiro signing JP Schembri, who joined from Luxol over the summer, and Sean Galea provided shooting threats, but overall efficiency remained low, and turnovers undermined their efforts.
Javier Turner battled hard on the boards and offered timely scores, yet Depiro struggled to match Starlites’ depth, especially as the game wore on.
The contest began brightly for Starlites, who raced ahead with Threadgill’s free throws and quick baskets in transition from Alec Felice Pace.
Bozovic responded in the paint to keep Depiro in touch, and Galea, who went on to finish with double digits by the end of the game, struck from deep late in the quarter, leaving Starlites up by five.
Depiro showed resilience in the second quarter. Cameron Cornelius bagged his first bucket, with Bozovic adding five points before Turner levelled matters with a put-back.
However, Starlites immediately re-established control through Jallow and Ian Felice Pace, who drained back-to-back triples to push their lead into more comfortable territory by half-time.
After the break, Starlites tightened defensively and punished Depiro’s turnovers. Threadgill and Scerri spearheaded a decisive run, with Fabri and Jayden Iturmendi also finding success inside.
Despite Bozovic continuing to score, Depiro’s offence stalled, and the gap widened to double digits.
The final quarter became a showcase of Starlites’ depth, with contributions across the roster. Fabri, Felice Pace brothers Ian and Alec, and Andrew Aquilina all added to the tally, sealing a convincing 31-point victory.
THE PLAZA DEPIRO: S. Galea 10, N. Zivkovic, J.P. Schembri 5, A. Trapani, M. Grubacic 3, J. Turner 11, S. Kenely, C. Cornelius 4, N. Bozovic 19.
STARLITES REVIVE: A. Felice Pace 7, K. Fabri 4, T. Fee 6, A. Aquilina 3, I. Felice Pace 15, M. Fabri 13, M. Scerri 8, J. Iturmendi 8, J. Threadgill 11, M. Jallow 8.
Referees: B. Vassallo, A. Attard, Z. Dobrosaviljevic.
