Siġġiewi 56
Athleta A-Z Electronics 66
(7-16, 11-12, 18-24, 20-14)
Athleta won their third honour of the season after seeing off Siġġiewi in the MBA Shield final yesterday for their sixth success in this cup competition.
Athleta were deserved winners, gaining control from the jump-ball and showing the better ideas in attack and defence.
Siġġiewi lacked cohesion and had problems concluding their attacks. Moreover, they were once again handicapped by the absence of Marko Matjevic who was sorely missed.
Following a series of fast breaks, launched after winning defensive rebounds, Athleta caught Siġġiewi on the wrong foot. Joe Galea’s men led 16-2 by the seventh minute.
Substitutions helped Peter Farrugia’s team recover some lost ground but Athleta held the edge as the second session got underway to preserve their lead and change ends 28-18 in front.
Three successive shots from outside the arc in the opening minutes of the third session killed any hopes Siġġiewi may have had of making a comeback as Athleta raced to a 39-23 lead.
Siġġiewi were a spent force, allowing Athleta to dictate matters.
It was only in the last minutes that Siġġiewi made the score look more respectable.
Siġġiewi: R. Agius, L. Camilleri, P. Shoults 11, E. Xuereb, N. Sultana 17, A. Borg 3, J.P. Azzopardi, C. Meier 8, C. Kodomoris 17, J. Jetsen.
Athleta: M. Naudi 15, D. Bugeja 2, M. Kawaid 14, D. Schembri 15, M. Giusti, A. Fakete 5, O. Said 11, I. Bulakov, A. Bonnici 4, K. Baldacchino.
Referees: B. Vassallo, G. Barbara, A. Carbonaro.
Alyssa Ashley Loyola 40
Hibernians 36
(8-10, 5-3, 15-14, 12-9)
Loyola inscribed their name on the women’s MBA Shield for the first time yesterday after beating Hibs in a low-scoring match.
Hibs potted the first two baskets but Loyola soon clicked into gear to share the exchanges and open the second session with five con-secutive points that saw them 13-10 ahead.
Both teams were erratic in their play, though Bruno di Pietran-tonio’s Hibs did manage to tie the score at half-time (13-13).
Loyola had the better start after the break as they opened a 24-17 lead by the sixth minute.
Hibs hit back strongly and four consecutive points put them 31-28 in front.
Loyola were not finished though as they stunned their opponents with eight consecutive points, 40-33.
Hibs had three minutes left to address the imbalance but their efforts proved futile as Ruth Spiteri’s girls had the final say.
Loyola: E. Moore 3, C. Grima 12, L. Dennoz 2, K. Tonna, F. Camilleri, J. Mangion 6, A. Sciberras 7, S Barbara 10, K. Borg.
Hibs: J. Scerri, E. Cassar, F. Mifsud, L. Bezzina, M. Zammit, M. Desira 3, K. Gatt, N. Arrigo 2, K. Baldacchino 14, J. Cardona 7, L. Gipson 10.
Referees: E. Mangani, C. Terribile.