STARLITES REVIVE 101
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES 83
(11-19, 31-16, 39-19, 20-29)
Starlites opened their playoff semifinal series with a commanding win over Luxol in Game 1.
Five Starlites players finished the evening in double digits as coach Paul Ferrante’s clan distributed the ball on offence, causing problems to the Luxol defence. Alec Felice Pace led the Naxxar side’s scoring with 24 points, Jackson Threadgill following with 22.
At the other end, Luxol based their shooting around usual targets Xavier Brewer and Darron Howard. Brewer achieved the game’s only double-double, putting up 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Howard followed with 26 points. Nathan Xuereb added another 14 points in a strong showing.
Luxol set the early tempo with a sharp 8-0 run, sparked by Xuereb’s and Howard’s three-pointers. Travis Fee stopped this run with a long-distance score himself, before Matthew Scerri drove up to keep it close. Nevertheless, Howard and Brewer continued to attck, with Jayden Johnson securing an eight-point lead at the first buzzer.
The second quarter turned the tide completely however, as Starlites put their foot on the gas immediately, tying the game two minutes into play.
Brewer responded for the violets, but Felice Pace and Scerri began to pummel their opposition, opening a double-digit lead as the Luxol top scorers attempted to claw their way back in, bringing it down to seven by half-time.
Starlutes’ momentum carried into the third rubber, where Starlites effectively took control of the game. Scerri and Felice Pace struck from deep, while Threadgill dominated inside as the lead quickly grew beyond 20.
Luxol tried to respond through Howard and Brewer, but Starlites continued to punish mistakes and dominate second-chance situations, extending their lead to 81–54 by the end of the third.
Luxol showed some fight in the final quarter, with Brewer producing a strong scoring run to cut the deficit as the import player put up no less than 15 points in the first five minutes of the rubber. However, each push was met with a response from Starlites. Threadgill added a late dunk and controlled the closing moments from the line, ensuring there was no late twist as Starlites comfortably saw out the win.
STARLITES REVIVE A. Felice Pace 24, K. Fabri, T. Fee 14, A. Aquilina, I. Felice Pace 3, M. Fabri 5, M. Scerri 15, J. Iturmendi 12, J. Threadgill 22, K. Xuereb, M. Jallow 6.
LUXOL SHERRIES ESTATES D. Howard 26, A. Azzopardi, I. Azzopardi, N. Xuereb 14, J. Johnson 5, M. Brincat 5, M. Iloube, X. Brewer 31, S. Cappello 2.
Referees B. Vassallo, L. Silvero, W. Lim.
HIBERNIANS 80
THE PLAZA DEPIRO 51
(30-9, 18-10, 14-12, 18-20)
Hibernians took full control from the outset to secure a dominant victory over Depiro in Game 1 of their playoff semifinal. Wednesday’s victory came from a powerful first quarter from the Paolites who created enough space to make Depiro chase them throughout the entire game.
Deonte Jackson was once again at the forefront of Hibs’ offence, leading the game with 18 points. Ivan Demcesen followed with 14 points despite restricted minutes, and Ayomide Ajiboye completed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Depiro struggled to find a good rhythm with shot accuracy taking a hit as the Mtarfa side has a team field goal percentage of just 25%. Trevon Reddish-Rhone led the team’s scoring with 15 points while Felix Udiale followed with 14, grabbing 12 boards for a double-double.
Hibernians imposed themselves immediately with a 11–0 opening run, sparked by Demcesen’s three-pointer as Ajiboye scored a layup and Luke Farrugia hit from deep. Udiale managed to issue a response for Depiro with two close-range efforts but Hibs stunned their opponents with three straight triples from Piotr Stelmach, Elijah Simmons and Jackson. JP Schembri hit one from range late on but a Jackson layup assured Hibs of a 21-point lead at the first buzzer after holding Depiro to just nine points in the quarter.
The second quarter looked like it was going to be a repeition of the first when Matthew Gouder fired twice from beyond the arc to reopen play. Reddish-rhone had a few answers to the Paolites’ strikes but could not stop them from heading into halftime on a 29-point advantage at 48-19.
After the restart, play looked to have lost its urgency, with players finding their luck mostly from inside the paint, with the score floating around the same margin throughout the third quarter.
The final quarter offered little change in direction. Ajiboye and Jackson continued to attack the rim in between a Stelmach triple. Depiro showed brief resistance through Cornelius, Nikola Bozovic and Uadiale, but it came too late to shift the balance as Hibs comfortably closed out the game.
HIBERNIANS N. Cassar 4, E. Simmons 3, A. Ajiboye 12, L. Farrugia 6, P. Stelmach 9, M. Gouder 8, D. Jackson 18, M. Attard 3, T. Gjurovski, I. Demcesen 14, S. Simic 3.
THE PLAZA DEPIRO S. Galea 1, T. Reddish-Rhone 15, N. Zivkovic 3, L. Stefanovic, JP Schembri 3, A. Trapani, S. Kenely, C. Cornelius 6, F. Udiale 14, M. Debattista, N. Bozovic 9.
Referees Z. Dobrosaviljevic, F. Ciurariu, M. De Flavia.
PLAYOFFS
(After Game 1)
Starlites Revive vs Luxol Sherries Estates 1-0
Hibernians vs The Plaza Depiro 1-0
