Luxol leapfrog Athleta into fourth
It was a day of large high-scoring victories at the Ta’ Qali Pavilion on Sunday, as Starlites Revive maintained top spot with a fiery fourth quarter against The Plaza Depiro, Hibernians stormed past a depleted Valletta Dream side, while Luxol Sherries Estates came back from a first-half push by Athleta AtoZ.
THE PLAZA DEPIRO 58
STARLITES REVIVE 81
(17-11, 22-17, 11-22, 8-31)
Starlites surged away in the closing minutes of an otherwise balanced encounter to defeat Depiro on Sunday.
The game ultimately hinged on Starlites’ control of turnovers and transition opportunities.
Jackson Threadgill led the charge with a series of key baskets to put up 24 points and helped his team on defence with 11 rebounds.
Travis Fee followed with 16 points a rebound short of a double-double, while Alec Felice Pace and Musa Jallow added 13.
At the other end, Cameron Cornelius led the Depior scoring with 17 points while Trevon Reddish-Rhone and Felix Udiale added 13, the latter bagging the team’s only double-double with 10 rebounds, second to Nikola Bozovic’s 15 boards.
Depiro began brightly, pushing ahead through Cornelius layup. Scerri replied but three-pointers from Luca Stefanovic and Reddish Rhone stretched the early lead.
Starlites responded through Scerri, Jallow and Felice Pace, but Cornelius remained influential, opening the first double-digit lead, one which Starlites reduced to six by the end of the quarter.
The second rubber became more competitive as Jallow and Fee helped Starlites trim the deficit. Depiro answered through Bozovic and Cornelius, while Uadiale provided a lift with a dunk and another strong finish in the paint.
Ian Felice Pace helped Starlites breath better with a triple but JP Schembri shocked them again with a shot from deep in the final minute to give Depiro an 11-point lead at half time – 39-28.
Starlites gradually built momentum in the third quarter. Ian Felice Pace reopened proceeedings but Udiale hit from deep to assert that first-half dominance again. And it seemed like Depiro were back on the front foot but Threadgill and Scerri combined for six points to get back into a single-digit deficit. T
hreadgill then hit from beyond the arc before a late flurry brought Starlites level at 50-50 at the end of the third.
It was then that Starlites demonstrated their stamina.
Threadgill shifted the lead for the first time with a free throw before a Michael Debattista triple that kept things steady. However, another 6-0 run from Starlites gave the Naxxar side their first gap in front.
Reddish-Rhone fired in from close range but Jallow kick-started another surge, which not only kept his side ahead but also gave Starlites an eventual 20-point advantage with less than two minutes to go.
This stunned Depiro’s gameplan and there was nothing they could do as Threadgill rose up to the basket twice to lead Starlites to victory.
THE PLAZA DEPIRO T. Reddish Rhone 13, N. Zivkovic, L. Stefanovic 4, JP Schembri 3, A. Trapani, C. Cornelius 17, F. Uadiale 13, M. Debattista 3, N. Bozovic 5.
STARLITES REVIVE A. Felice Pace 13, K. Fabri, T. Fee 16, A. Aquilina, I. Felice Pace 5, M. Fabri, M. Scerri 10, J. Threadgill 24, K. Xuereb, M. Jallow 13.
Referees M. De Flavia, J. Siefert, A. Attard.
HIBERNIANS 127
VALLETTA DREAM 42
(21-11, 39-14, 41-13, 26-4)
Hibernians produced a dominant display to defeat Valletta with an astounding 85-point margin.
Statistically, Hibernians’ authority came from their pace as Deonte Jackson was back to his best on the day. He led he game with 24 points as Matthew Attard followed with 21.
Impressively both players had a solid showing from deep with Jackson going 50% and Attard hitting one more for 66.7% from beyond the arc. For the capital club, Stefan Vincic led the way with 15 points.
Hibernians were on top from the outset.
Ajiboye opened with free throws before Stefan Simic struck with a quick five points to ignite a 7-0 start. Valletta looked to Nehemiah Watson for answers, while Vincic hit five points of his own to help the cause. Nevertheless, Jackson’s jumper in the final seconds gave Hibs a 10-point lead at the first buzzer.
The Paolites’ strength took over from then on, as Valletta’s lack of depth was exposed. Piotr Stelmach, another double-double finisher with 11 points and 15 rebounds, opened the scoring with a tip-in before Attard fired from deep.
This became a 16-0 run for Hibs before Watson managed Valletta’s first basket of the second quarter. But it was one cancelled out immediately by an Elijah Simmons triple as Hibernians punished turnovers to fired at will, pushing the margin up to 35 points by half-time.
The third rubber followed the same script as the Citizens could not contain Hibs’ distribution and accuracy in their shooting, leading to them eventually conceding 41 points in the ensuing quarter.
Meanwhile, Valletta’s scores came few and far between, with Vincic and Watson the only scorers from open play, as Jhun Jhun Lisondra contributed a free throw midway through the quarter.
At the other end, it was non-stop potting from Ayomide Ajiboye and Jackson, with Ivan Demcesen and Stelmach both hitting triples at one point – 101-38.
With the outcome already decided, the final quarter was a formality as Hibs closed the contest in full control.
HIBERNIANS E. Simmons 15, A. Ajiboye 18, L. Farrugia 8, P. Stelmach 11, V. Kustudja 3, D. Jackson 24, M. Attard 21, T. Gjurovski 5, I. Demcesen 17, S. Simic 5.
VALLETTA DREAM N. Watson 14, J. Mullings 1, D. Massa, S. Vincic 15, J. Lisondra 6, P. Marotta 4, M. Rieger 2.
Referees N. Rincon, L. Silvero, W. Lim.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES 92
ATHLETA ATOZ 72
(11-26, 24-11, 29-14, 28-21)
After a solid first quarter from Athleta, Luxol pulled away to secure a convincing victory over the Gżira side.
The contest was shaped by two dominant scoring performances. Xavier Brewer and Darron Howard carried Luxol through the decisive stretch with important finishes.
Athleta’s Orlando Little was in fiery form to lead the game in scoring with 39 points but sporadic support from the rest of the team held them back from keeping a good opening against the Violets.
Howard opened with a fastbreak layup for Luxol, but Saba Ebelashvili and Luca Borg responded with a triple.
Brewer hit from mid-range, but Isaac Bonett and Little fired back before the American player took over to give Athleta a 15-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Luxol responded strongly in the second period, Howard and Jayden Johnson chipped away at the deficit before Brewer ignited a run with an alley-oop finish and a three-pointer.
Nathan Xuereb’s layup and Johnson’s jump shot from a turnover finally pushed Luxol ahead, while Adam Azzopardi briefly extended the lead.
Athleta stayed close through Borg and Little, whose efforts restored a narrow edge, giving Athleta a 37-35 lead at half-time.
The momentum swung firmly after the change of ends. Stefan Cappello opened the third quarter with a basket before trading scores with Little, but Luxol soon took control. Howard began to dominate the tempo with a series of baskets as Luxol surged to a 13-point lead by the end of the third rubber.
Athleta tried to respond early in the final quarter as Little continued to score, including consecutive three-pointers that briefly threatened a comeback.
Yet once Luxol took control, they were not going to let go as they sealed a 20-point victory at the final buzzer.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES D. Howard 23, A. Azzopardi 4, I. Azzopardi, N. Xuereb 12, J. Johnson 14, M. Brincat 2, M. Iloube 2, X. Brewer 27, S. Cappello 8.
ATHLETA ATOZ K. Fabri 1, M. Duffy 6, S. Ebelashvili 7, R. Vitale 1, I. Bonett 5, L. Borg 10, O. Little 39, J. Cefai 3.
Referees B. Vassallo, L. Silvero, W. Lim.
STANDINGS
Starlites Revive 24; Hibernians 22; The Plaza Depiro 18; Luxol Sherries Estates 16; Athleta AtoZ 15; Valletta Dream 12.
