BUPA Luxol kept their title hopes alive after edging past rivals Athleta A to Z Electronics in extra-time to level the final series at 2-2. The fifth and decisive game will be played at the Ta’ Qali pavilion on Thursday at 3pm.
Athleta A-Z Electronics 96
Bupa Luxol 98
(26-19, 15-25, 21-19, 21-20, 13-15)
Trailing 2-1, Luxol had to win the fourth game to set up a decider in their final series against rivals Athleta.
Luxol’s last-ditch efforts enabled them to send the game into extra-time and then, against the odds, they made another bold reaction to ruin Athleta’s hopes of wrapping up the title issue.
The game was another nailbiting affair with the result in the balance as the two contestants fought tooth and nail throughout.
Athleta were ultimately punished for their failure to take advantage of Luxol’s erratic fast breaks through careless passing or hurried shots.
Once again, it was Athleta who showed the better ideas in attack.
They turned the ball around quickly, nailing three-pointers especially through forward David Bugeja and playmaker Omar Said.
While Athleta were patient in their build-up play, Luxol youngsters Nicola Vasovic and C.J. Cordina betrayed a tendency to shoot at the sight of the basket with little tangible results.
Despite being closely guarded by two and even three Athleta defenders, Samuel Deguara, Luxol’s towering pivot, was his team’s driving force after recovering from a shaky start.
With Athleta relying mostly on shots from outside the zone, this strategy limited the impact of captain Michael Naudi underneath the board while Luxol coach John Tabone tried to exploit Deguara’s height.
After conceding the opening two baskets, Athleta gradually took control to move 23-11 ahead by the sixth minute. A time-out helped Luxol to come through this difficult moment as they narrowed the gap by the end of the quarter, 26-19.
The exchanges were balanced at the start of the second quarter, 33-27, but Luxol lifted their game to take a 44-41 half-time lead.
Athleta regained their composure after the interval to open a five-point lead, 57-52, but a time-out and substitutions did the trick for Luxol who began the last 10 minutes a point in front, 63-62.
All was set for an exciting finale. It was after the fifth minute when Chad Patus’s baskets seemed to put Athleta within sight of the title, 78-72, but substitutions and Bugeja’s fourth foul allowed Luxol to bounce back and force extra-time, 83-83.
Luxol struggled when the additional five minutes got underway as Athleta potted the first five points. The loss of Michael Myers Keitt on five fouls didn’t help Luxol’s cause.
But, unexpectedly, Luxol began to defend better while Athleta seemed to tire out.
Squandered possessions allowed Luxol to overturn the result and take a five-point lead, 98-93, with less than 30 seconds left. Omar Said’s three-pointer in the dying seconds came too late to deny Luxol victory.
Athleta: M. Naudi 2, D. Bugeja 24, C. Patus 29, C. Galea, W. Spiteri, O. Said 27, S. Pace, K. Baldacchino, S. Bischoff, S. Schembri 14.
Luxol: C.J. Cordina 7, M. Mercieca 3, A. Micallef, N. Andrejevic, J. Willoughby, N. Vasovic 10, J.P. Bonnici, M. Myers Keitt 27, A. Micallef Trigona 10, S. Deguara 41, S. Capello.
Referees: B. Vassallo, C. Terribile, T. Helenius.