Luxol set up final against Siġġiewi

Holders BUPA Luxol and Siġġiewi Kent Boringer will face off in the MBA Shield final after they had the better of Athleta Compleet IS and Depiro Mtarfa respectively in the semi-finals. The final will be played on February 21.

Athleta Compleet IS 74
Bupa Luxol 78

(22-20, 16-27, 15-18, 21-13)

In a match where so much was at stake, Luxol recorded their first victory of the season over bitter rivals Athleta. John Tabone's side showed great improvement on their latest outings as they played more like a team besides attaining a better shooting percentage.

Athleta were at full strength with pivot Silvio Cassar recovering from injury and playmaker Chris Sammut also making a return to the squad.

Luxol's strong opening surprised Athleta but after falling eight points behind, 15-7, coach

Joe Galea rallied his troops. Athleta regained their composure, particularly top-scorer Michael Naudi who helped the team overturn the result by the end of the quarter, 22-20.

The pressure was now on Luxol to make a reaction. Led by the Schembri brothers, Dirk and Steve, Luxol potted 11 consecutive points and Athleta were unable to wipe out that deficit by half-time, 47-38.

Athleta managed to narrow the gap to three points after the interval but Luxol hit back with a couple of three-pointers to start the last 10 minutes 65-53 in front.

The last quarter started with Athleta in attacking mode as Luxol's Steve Schembri committed his fourth foul. Galea's team were now only six points behind, 67-61, as tension increased on court.

An unsportsmanlike foul by Cassar, followed by a technical foul against the Athleta coach, paved the way for Luxol to open a 10-point lead. Luxol lost playmaker Alan Borg, fouled out, but even though Tabone's men gave away possession cheaply, Athleta failed to take advantage as Luxol were the better side on the day.

Athleta: M. Naudi 29, C. Doughty 6, E. Bezzina 3, C. Sammut, M. Giusti, S. Galea, O. Said 14, C. Calleja, A. Bonnici 18, J. Zammit, S. Cassar 4.

Luxol: M. Mercieca 10, R. Azzopardi 6, A. Borg 7, A. Portelli, N. Vasovic, T. Paris, D. Schembri 21, E. Caruana Montaldo, J.P. Bonnici 9, S. Schembri 25.

Referees: G. Barbara, E. Mangani, J.P. Sammut.

Siġġiewi Kent Boringer 73
Depiro Mtarfa 60

(19-9, 18-18, 15-10, 21-23)

With pivot Marco Matijevic making his comeback from a long-term injury, Siġġiewi seemed to be cruising to the final but Depiro found fresh energy in the last quarter to give their opponents a mighty fright.

Depiro had a full squad with captain Roderick Vella available after recovering from injury. With Matijevic on court, Siġġiewi looked more organised and surged to a 16-5 lead. A time-out and substitutions helped Depiro to share the exchanges until half-time 37-27.

With forward Adrian Micallef in good form, Siġġiewi stretched their lead to 48-31 after five minutes of the third quarter.

Depiro surpassed their difficult moment and three consecutive Vella three-pointers at the start of the last session dragged the team back into contention.

Siġġiewi lost confidence and struggled for pace. It was only in the last two minutes, after a technical foul committed by Depiro coach Ray Muscat and some Peter Shoults drives, that Siġġiewi regained their scoring touch to avoid an embarrassing situation.

Siġġiewi: P. Shoults 7, J.P. Antoncich, L. Camilleri, J. Doughty, E. Xuereb, A. Tabone 4, K. Borg, A. Micallef 21, L. Ross 14, E. Baldacchino, J. Jetsen 8, M. Matijevic 19.

Depiro: R. Vella 27, J.P. Schembri 2, D. Debono, M. Arsovski 12, A. Aquilina 2, J. Gatt 6, J. Dalli 1, E. Lupo 4, I. Tanti 1, D. Agius 5.

Referees: E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro, C. Terribile.

Super Cup final

Tomorrow: 4.15 p.m. Luxol vs Athleta.