A to Z Electronics Athleta made up for their MBA Shield upset to Virtus Cynergi after beating them over two legs in the Louis Borg Cup semi-final last weekend. In next weekend’s final, Athleta play Floriana Cafè Del Mar who eliminated BUPA Luxol.

A-Z Electronics Athleta 163
Virtus Cynergi 150

(75-77, 88-73)

Athleta showed their true mettle in the second leg to stop Virtus from reaching another medal match this season. They had veteran forward Steve Schembri available and he played a vital role for the team.

Athleta had the better ending to the first quarter of the opening leg and they continued to show the brighter ideas as the minutes ticked away to extend their lead to seven points, 29-22.

Although Virtus started playing better, their efforts were not enough to stop Athleta changing ends 39-31 ahead.

Athleta seemed in control after the break but suddenly Virtus clicked into gear and a series of three-pointers helped them to a 20-4 break and a 54-47 lead.

A time-out and a few changes helped Athleta surpass this difficult moment even though Virtus still started the last 10 minutes 60-54 in front.

The opening of the last quarter saw Athleta nose ahead only for Virtus to pot seven consecutive points to regain their lead, 69-64.

Athleta tried hard to avoid defeat but in the end Virtus just managed to cling on to their slender lead and win the first leg by two points.

The second leg saw Athleta race to a 19-11 scoreline in favour and, with Virtus struggling to find their rhythm, they opened a 44-29 advantage at half-time.

Athleta were now leading on aggregate and heading towards the final. They continued to impose their game over Virtus, never allowing them the chance to re-open the issue.

Virtus could not apply any kind of pressure on Athleta who went through thanks to a difference of 13 points in favour over the two legs.

Floriana Cafè Del Mar 161
BUPA Luxol 127

(88-64, 73-63)

More was expected from Luxol who practically blew their chances in the first leg as Floriana opened a comfortable lead that eased their passage to the final.

Floriana’s Dutch player Nick Oudendag is settling down nicely even though he has to improve his form from the free-throw line.

With Luxol sweating to conclude their attacks and Orlando Rutledge unable to find his shooting touch, Floriana did well to open a 39-19 lead five minutes before half-time.

However, after falling further behind, Luxol shared the ex-changes till lemon time, 47-23.

They reduced the gap to 55-30 but Floriana regrouped for a 62-38 lead before the last 10-minute session got underway.

Rutledge was firing on all cylinders now but he was unable to lift his team as Floriana administered their lead wisely for a 24-point cushion ahead of the second leg.

As expected, Floriana opted for caution in the second leg. The match was more balanced this time and the Greens only enjoyed a slender 43-38 lead at half-time.

The match remained on an even keel but when Luxol had Rutledge fouled out, Floriana took advantage to start the last ten minutes 58-43 in front.

With overall victory in their bags, Floriana introduced some of their substitutes and in a three-minute spell Luxol were just two points behind – 63-61.

However, a Shawn Borg basket enabled Floriana to hit back as they also won the second leg 73-63.

Louis Borg Cup final
(Saturday, first leg) 16.30 A-Z Elect. Athleta vs Floriana Cafè del Mar.
(Sunday, second leg) 16.30 Floriana Cafe del Mar vs A-Z Athleta.

Depiro girls through

In a hard-fought preliminary round match from the women’s Louis Borg Cup, PAVI Depiro just managed to edge Hibs out of the competition to book their place in the semi-finals and a clash with rivals Cafe Moak Luxol.

With captain Sam Brincat in the team, Depiro were engaged in a tight opening leg against Hibs who started the last ten minutes enjoying a one-point lead – 32-31.

The match developed into a ding-dong affair with one team than the other ahead until a Maria Bonett three-pointer settled the issue for Depiro 50-47.

The second leg was played with equal intensity but when Depiro lost Brincat through injury, Hibs raced ahead 33-27 midway through the third quarter.

Depiro succeeded in halting the rot to start the last quarter 40-35 in front. But Hibs doubled their efforts to overturn the result 56-52 with a couple of minutes left.

In a frantic finale, Depiro prevailed to clinch the second leg by a single point, 58-57.

Louis Borg Cup SFs
(Friday, first legs) 18.15 Luxol vs Depiro; 20.00 Athleta vs Phoenix.
(Sunday, second legs) 13.00 Depiro vs Luxol; 14.45 Phoenix vs Athleta.