After a rough start to the new campaign, Athleta AtoZ finally put their name in the winning column as they edged past Valletta Dream on Sunday at the Ta’ Pavilion.
Meanwhile, Starlites Revive took the spoils from their top-of-the-table clash with Hibernians, and The Plaza Depiro pushed past Luxol Sherries Estates to reshape the standings.
ATHLETA ATOZ 102
VALLETTA DREAM 99
(31-24, 24-23, 27-31, 20-21)
In a fiery clash between the two teams without a victory this season, Athleta overcame Valletta with a solid first quarter, which they used as momentum for the remainder of the encounter.
Athleta’s first league win came through efficiency as they shot 54.2 per cent from the field and consistently punished Valletta’s turnovers, finishing with 30 assists. Valletta countered with physicality, dominating the offensive glass and drawing fouls, with their strong showing at the line keeping them firmly in contention.
Valletta struck first through Tyler Murray and Kieron Caruana’s three-pointers.
Athleta steadied themselves through Wesley Jordan and Juan Garcia Cefai’s work in the paint. Saba Ebelashvili and Isaac Bonett’s first triples brought the scores level, and a burst of fastbreak finishes swung the momentum towards the Gzira side.
Jordan capped the surge with a late three-ball, sending Athleta into the first break holding a 31-24 lead.
Sandro Farruugia’s clan briefly pulled away in the second quarter as Cefai and Bonett continued to punish the Citizens’ loose possessions.
Valletta’s Eugene Campbell responded by attacking continuously, capping his second quarter points with a pair of free throws with three minutes to go in the half.
However, Robert Vitale’s energetic stretch restored Athleta’s control, and despite Murray’s trips to the line, a late Cefai shot from range ensured Athleta reached halftime ahead 55-47.
The third quarter belonged to Valletta as they attempted to turn the tide. Caruana hit successive triples to bring the game to just a point, while Campbell nudged the Capital club ahead.
Jordan answered forcefully with a dunk, the Athleta import becoming the major contributor to his side’s effort to stay in front, leading by four at the third buzzer.
The closing minutes were a balanced finale.
The Citizens briefly surged ahead through Campbell and Murray, but Athleta held their composure. Jordan’s dominance inside steadied them before Ivan Medved struck from deep with 20 seconds to go.
Cefai then delivered the decisive blows, finishing on the break to secure the win.
ATHLETA ATOZ K. Fabri, M. Duffy 6, S. Ebelashvili 13, R. Vitale 10, I. Bonett 12, M. Spiteri, I. Medved 6, L. Borg 5, W. Jordan 30, J. Cefai 20.
VALLETTA DREAM F. Mifsud Bonnici 14, K. Caruana 21, E. Campbell 30, S. Vincic 6, T. Murray 26, J. Lisondra, C. Penaloza 2.
Referees F. Ciurariu, A. Attard, Z. Dobrosaviljevic.
HIBERNIANS 87
STARLITES REVIVE 99
(19-27, 19-22, 20-31, 29-19)
Starlites underlined their authority in the division with another decisive win over Hibernians.
Like Athleta’s feat against Valletta, Starlites generated most of their advantage from the perimeter, converting 14 three-pointers and moving the ball with purpose to finish with 27 assists.
Hibernians struggled to match that balance, managing only two makes from deep and relying heavily on free throws and second chances to stay competitive. Alec Felice Pace’s shot-making proved the difference as he scored no less than seven triples, while Musa Jallow and Travis Fee ensured Starlites remained in control whenever Hibs threatened.
On the day, Jackson Threadgill was presented with the BOV November Player of the Month award, recognition of a strong run of form that set the tone for Starlites’ confident start.
The Paolites opened aggressively through Ayomide Ajiboye, who attacked early to spark an 8-0 run. Starlites responded through multiple Threadgill and Alec Felice Pace three-balls.
A late run, capped by Miguel Fabri’s eight points, carried Starlites into the second rubber leading 27-19.
Starlites tightened their grip in the second quarter. Felice Pace and Jallow’s direct drives pushed the margin up to 12.
Hibernians stayed within reach through Elijah Simmons’ steady scoring, but another late three-pointer from Fee pushed Paul Ferrante’s clan into a 49-38 advantage at the break.
Any hopes of a sustained Hibs comeback were checked after the restart as Starlites put up their best scoring quarter of the game, hitting the Paolites for 30 points.
Ivan Demcesen led the scoring with close-range finishes but Felice Pace was on a hot streak, hitting a pair of three pointers in quick succession to stretch the margin. Despite Demcesen’s work to try and get back to within single digits, Starlites’ piled on more pressure and shot their lead up to 22 points at the end of the third.
Hibs showed their desire in the final period, trimming the deficit through Ayomide Ajiboye and Simmons, but Starlites never conceded as they took the win at the final buzzer.
HIBERNIANS N. Cassar 8, E. Simmons 18, A. Ajiboye 22, P. Stelmach 10, D. Jackson 9, M. Attard 3, I. Demcesen 15, S. Simic 2.
STARLITES REVIVE A. Felice Pace 29, K. Fabri, T. Warren Fee 15, A. Aquilina, I. Felice Pace 5, M. Fabri 14, M. Scerri, J. Iturmendi 8, J. Threadgill 11, M. Jallow 17.
Referees B. Vassallo, N. Rincon, M. De Flavia.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES 72
THE PLAZA DEPIRO 85
(17-23, 23-23, 17-19, 15-20)
After a relatively balanced encounter, Depiro pulled away from Luxol in the latter stages of a tightly contested round of play.
Depiro struck first, with Nikola Bozovic hitting second-chance points before Luxol’s Jayden Johnson responded with two points of his own.
While Luxol managed to stay close through efforts from Nathan Xuereb, Cameron Cornelius and Terevon Reddish-Rhone took charge and the Mtarfa side led by six at the first buzzer.
That pattern continued in the second quarter. Luxol chipped away through Johnson’s work inside and Xuereb’s pace in the open floor, briefly threatening to close the gap.
Depiro responded with patience, Reddish and Cornelius scoring on consecutive possessions before Bozovic struck from deep late in the half. Luxol’s late push reduced the damage, but Depiro still carried a 46-40 advantage into the interval.
The third quarter proved pivotal. Luxol came out with renewed intent, levelling the score as Burke Smith finished twice in the paint and Stefan Capello hit from three-point range, as did Johnson. Depiro steadied themselves quickly. JP Schembri shot from deep, while Cornelius and Reddish combined on a decisive run to reassert control at 65-57 ahead of the final stretch.
Luxol fought on in the final quarter, trimming the deficit through Johnson and Smith, but every surge was met by a composed Depiro reply. Cornelius dominated the paint, while timely scores from Sean Galea and Alessio Trapani helped Depiro close the game out.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES A. Azzopardi 4, I. Azzopardi 6, N. Xuereb 9, J. Johnson 22, M. Brincat 9, D. Tomasi 5, B. Smith 10, S. Cappello 7, S. Marra.
THE PLAZA DEPIRO S. Galea 11, T. Reddish 26, L. Stefanovic, J. Schembri 3, A. Trapani 9, S. Kenely, C. Cornelius 27, N. Bozovic 9.
Referees L. Silvero, G. Barbara, W. Lim.
STANDINGS
Starlites Revive 10; Hibernians 9; The Plaza Depiro 8; Luxol Sherries Estates, Athleta AtoZ 6; Valletta Dream 5.
