Malta U-16 boys fend off Kosovo’s fightback to battle for gold in FIBA Europe Division C

Maltese basketball could be set for another historic Sunday as the men’s U-16 national team emulated their girls’ counterparts to secure their place into the final of the FIBA Europe Division C championships in Yerevan.

The team, guided by Omar Said, produced a spirited performance to edge Kosovo 113-110 in a nail-biting semi-final in Yerevan.

On Sunday they will be up against Armenia who thrashed Moldova 82-66 in the other semi-final.

The match turned out to be a real roller-coaster with the Maltese boys powering their way to a commanding 30-19 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Kosovo tried to stop the rot in the second session, but despite their pressure they only managed to knock off three points of Malta’s advantage as Said’s team headed into the half-time interval 60-52 ahead.

The match looked as good as over in the third session as the Maltese outplayed their opponents to open a commanding 94-76 lead.

However, in the final session, the Maltese seemed to lose their way as Kosovo powered their way into the match and managed to wipe up all that deficit to trail by just one point 103-102, with less than four minutes to go.

But it was here that the character of the Maltese players came to the fore with Zack Said Hollier hitting a crucial three-pointer and a lay-up to lift the team five points clear 108-102.

The Kosovo players refused to throw in the towel and Orik Strefi put them two points ahead 110-108.

But Said Hollier continued to carry the team on his shoulder as he scored two successive lay-ups to put the team two points ahead with just over a minute to go 112-110 ahead.

Kosovo stepped up the pressure to try and save the match but it was Said Hollier who sealed the win with a free-throw for a famous 113-110 win.