Malta U-16 girls come from behind to stun Georgia in Euro Championship Division C opener

The Malta U-16 national team opened their FIBA Europe U-16 Championship Division C in style when they secured a dramatic 61-59 win over Georgia at the Ta’ Qali Pavilion.

It was a lion-hearted performance from the Maltese girls who managed to come from behind on several occasions and manage to upset their more-quoted opponents and bag a very important win.

The first quarter saw the Georgians make a fast start as they raced into a five-point lead inside the opening two minutes of play.

Gradually, the Maltese girls started to settle down, and they managed to restore parity with a Claire Portelli free-throw.

From then on, the two teams remained glued to each other with Martina Mendez Vazquez giving the hosts their first lead – 10-8.

But Georgia stepped up a gear in the remaining minutes, opening a seven-point lead by the end of the first quarter – 19-12.

The second quarter saw the Georgians take an early lead and stretch their lead to eight points through Mariami Kekeli – 25-17.

But the Maltese girls refused to throw in the towel as they launched a furious fightback.

Three-pointers from Eve Axisa and Samira Deguara, along with a Lara Micallef field gal propelled the team to a one-point advantage at the half-time mark, 32-31.

The third session saw both teams remaining tied with each other, with Georgia finally opening some daylight when taking a four-point lead with less than four minutes to go.

But a Deguara three-pointer put Malta just one goal behind at 38-37.

Another triple from Claire Portelli put the Maltese 43-40 ahead.

But the Georgians rallied as baskets from Zurabishvili and Kartvelishvili ensured they started the final session 45-43.

It looked as though Georgia had a firm grip into the clash when racing into a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.

But the Maltese refused to throw in the towel and mounted a stunning comeback with baskets from Deguara, Summer West and Axisa put them three points ahead – 59-56.

The Georgians tried to rally  but Roderick Vella’s girls managed to defend well and secure a crucial 61-59 victory.