The draws of the men’s KO competitions, sponsored by BOV, were made yesterday at the basketball pavilion in Ta’ Qali.

In the main competition, holders BUPA Luxol will be involved in a quarter-final clash against Tata Motors Loyola with the winners progressing to a last-four showdown against last year’s beaten finalists Floriana.

The other quarter-final will pit against each other Pavi Depiro and Siġġiewi. The winner of this tie qualifies for a match against Athleta with a slot in the final at stake.

The two quarter-final matches are scheduled for December 13 and the semi-finals will be played the following Sunday – December 16.

Rivals Starlites and SN Suns have avoided each other in the semi-finals of the men’s second division knock-out competition.

Starlites will be playing Mellieħa Tritones in the quarter-finals with Miscela D’Oro Mtarfa awaiting the winner in the next stage.

SN Suns have a tougher route as first they will have to beat YTC Floriana Eurobasket and then take on the winners of the other quarter-final between Siġġiewi ‘B’ and Phoenix Qormi Żmerc.

The quarter-finals of the men’s second division competition will be played next month.

“This year, we have 13 teams participating in the KO competitions,” Peter Perotti, Bank of Valletta chief officer told a news conference yesterday.

“Our partnership with the MBA is mainly intended to increase the game’s popularity and we are happy to see two new teams joining the competitions this season.”

Paul Sultana, president of the Malta Basketball Association, again showed his appreciation to BOV for their long-standing support.

“Thanks to the bank’s financial assistance, we can continue to organise competitions at all levels and improve basketball facilities to provide the best standards that our sport deserves.”