Gżira Athleta will be out to maintain their strong grip on the BOV KO when they play Hibernians in the final in Ta’ Qali, tomorrow.

Joe Galea’s team start favourites to lift the cup a fifth successive time with Hibs struggling in the league after failing to win a single match in the regular season.

“This competition has been a happy hunting ground for Athleta along the years as we have won the trophy in each of the last four seasons,” Galea told reporters.

“After winning the first three competitions in this current campaign we now want to add another title to our trophy cabinet but we know that we will have to work for it. Hibs are a talented, young team and we cannot afford any lapses of concentration.”

While Athleta are seasoned campaigners, Hibernians are looking to establish themselves in the top flight. Reaching the final was already an achievement for the Paola boys.

“Hibernians have only been in the top flight these last two years so to make it to a final of a major competition is a very remarkable feat for our club,” team manager Toni Cassar said.

“We have a few promising players coming up. This will be a very useful experience for them and a huge boost for the club if we had to win the KO for the first time since 1989.

“This season, we have beaten Athleta in the Independence Cup. This will be a different scenario, we know, but we’re also confident that we can produce a perfect game and beat the favourites.”

Malta Basketball Association president Paul Sultana thanked BOV for their constant support and revealed that talks were ongoing on a new sponsorship agreement between the two parties.

“It’s an honour to have the bank as our main partners,” he said.

“In the last weeks, we have opened talks with Bank of Valletta to extend the duration of the deal currently in place.

“We are close to a new agreement as we seek to maintain our association for a few more years.”

U-20 championships

Malta will be competing in the FIBA Under-20 European Championships Division B for men for the first time later this year.

“This is the first time that theU-20 team will be competing in the championships,” Sultana said.

“It’s a new challenge but we believe that playing in tournaments like these will be a good experience for our young players that will help them in their transition to the senior team.”

The championships will be played in Romania in July.

Malta was drawn in Group B along with Belarus, Poland, Belgium, Armenia and Finland.

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