Gżira Athleta 74
Floriana MCP Car Parks 58
(15-15, 23-22, 16-8, 20-13)
Gżira Athleta made a clean sweep of the St James Hospital Shield this season when they added the men’s and women’s titles to the Division Two honour which their men’s second team won late last month.
A 12-0 run in the last quarter cemented Athleta’s ninth success in this pre-season competition as they soared to a 68-51 lead with only four minutes to the final buzzer of a contest that was quite tight in its initial stages.
In fact, the first half was a contested affair with only a final marginal lead, 38-37, for Athleta at the change of ends.
In a repeat of the Independence Cup final, also won by Athleta, the lead changed a few times at first.
Joe Galea’s men had the better start in the second quarter and a 10-2 run, including two shots from downtown by David Camilleri and the game’s top points-getter Josiah Whitehead, helped Athleta open an eight-point lead.
Floriana rallied back strongly and short-range hoops from Dirk Schembri and two Chad Patus treys saw them momentarily ahead with a few seconds to go for half-time.
Yet a brace of free-throws at the opposite end, from guard Peter Shoults, closed the first half with Athleta back in front.
Athleta took the upperhand for a good part of the third quarter with Floriana showing signs of nervousness. Nicola Vasovic tried to keep the Greens in the game yet Gżira still showed the better consistency on court.
Floriana got close to their opponents in the final quarter as they reduced the gap to five points.
However, a 12-0 run, including three-pointers from Vella and Zammit, determined the outcome with the Shield returning to Athleta after a lapse of three years.
Comments
Michael Naudi (Athleta captain): “This was a hard-fought match with a lot of contact that was let go.
“We played a stronger second half following a tough opening where we suffered in rebounds.
“In fact, this was the key as we started running more plays and limited the amount of second chances Floriana could take.”
Chad Patus (Floriana): “We worked hard to make it to the final but did not play to our true potential against Athleta.
“At Floriana, we have a really great group and all of us will continue to work hard, grow as a team and get to where we want to be.”
Match line-Ups
Athleta: M. Naudi 14, R. Vella 15, D. Camilleri 3, L. Stefanovic, P. Shoults 10, F. Mifsud Bonnici, B. Zammit 8, J. Bas, S. Vincic, M. Gauci Montaldo, J. Whitehead 24.
Floriana: C. Patus 15, S. Pace 4, D. Schembri 12, S. Borg 2, N. Vasovic 15, C. Calleja 8, A. Axiaq 2, N. An-drejevic.
Referees: G. Barbara, T. Helenius, C. Farrugia.