Gżira Athleta were handed a favourable path to the BOV knockout final following the draws held at the Malta Basketball Association (MBA) headquarters in Ta' Qali, yesterday.

Last season, Athleta won the knockout after beating Virtus Cynergi in the final and the two teams are again poised to clash in this year's showdown after being kept apart and awarded a bye to the semi-finals.

Athleta face the winner of the quarter-final between Hibernians and Depiro while Virtus face a trickier test when playing either Floriana or Luxol in the other last-four match.

The two quarter-finals will be played on November 15 and the semi-finals are pencilled for December 13.

Paul Sultana, MBA president, said the sport continues to grow thanks also to contributions made by sponsors like Bank of Valletta.

“We do not have enough words to show our gratitude towards the bank whose assistance through various sponsorships put us in a better position to complete our projects,” he said.

“The construction of two courts adjacent to the pavilion was instrumental to increase our activities in the youth sector, in particular.

“In April we shall have two youth teams from Wales here for a training camp. They will also play in a tournament with some of our teams.

“This year, we also had some inquiries from US College teams to visit the islands and conduct a training camp here. So this is a good time for us and we are trying to make the most of it.”

Peter Perotti, Chief Officer at BOV, said he was impressed at how basketball has developed.

“Bank of Valletta has been involved in this sport since the 1970s and we are satisfied to see that our support has helped the game to flourish in all age groups and categories,” he said.

“We have every intention to continue with this partnership and see that the MBA development is sustained.”

Division One
Quarter-finals (Nov. 15): Hibs vs Depiro; Floriana vs Luxol.
Semi-finals (Dec. 13): Athleta vs Hibs/Depiro; Luxol/Floriana vs Virtus.

Division Two
Quarter-finals (Nov. 7): Phoenix vs Athleta.
Semi-finals (Dec. 11-12): Starlites vs Phoenix/Athleta; Mellieha vs St Nicolas Suns.

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