Caffe Moak Luxol retained the Women’s League championship after beating Electrofix Hibernians yesterday to open an unassailable 4-1 lead in the best-of-seven play-off final series.

Hibernians Electrofix 38
Caffe Moak Luxol 51

(14-10, 8-15, 9-20, 7-6)

For the umpteenth time this season, Luxol recovered from a slow start to turn the tables on their opponents. This time their escape act saw them chalking up a crucial win that meant they had secured their 15th title in history.

Luxol’s trump card was their superior outside shooting percentage with captain Mandy Mercieca taking centre-stage as she potted 19 points.

Steffi DeMartino had a quiet game by her own lofty standards but she did put in some valuable defensive work for Luxol to contain the threat of Hibs trio Josephine Grima, Hanna Al Tumi and Elenor Cassar.

Playmaker Sarah Pace also contributed to Luxol’s cause, particularly with a couple of timely three-pointers.

The match had a slow start. Baskets were hard to come by as both defences were enjoying the upperhand with Hibs leading 14-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Luxol opted for different tactics as the second quarter got underway and their plan unsettled Hibs who took more than five minutes to obtain their next basket.

The champions went a basket ahead five minutes from the interval and two successive three-pointers allowed them to stretch their lead to 23-16.

Hibs came back roaring though and two successful shots from outside the arch reduced the gap to a single point before Luxol potted two free-throws to take a 25-22 half-time lead.

After a balanced start to the third quarter, with Luxol 30-26 in front, three consecutive baskets allowed Charles Bonnici’s girls to open a ten-point gap, 36-26. Hibs tried hard to recover the deficit but their shooting was quite erratic.

The opening stages of the last quarter saw Hibs more aggressive in their individual defence.

This unsettled Luxol but Hibs were not able to profit as they only managed four points, 45-35, with five minutes left.

Pivot Joselle Borg Cardona, who had just come off the bench, put Luxol back on course.

Hibs were running out of time and they also kept messing up chances inside Luxol’s zone. In the end, they had no energy left to apply pressure on their opponents who kept their cool before sealing their win.

Hibs: J. Scerri 3, E. Cassar 9, N. Vella, I. Agius, J. Grima 9, M. Said 8, C. Grima 7, K. Portanier Mifsud, N. Mifsud, H. Al Tumi 2, N. Farrugia, G. Costa.

Luxol: S. Pace 8, B. Zammit 9, N. Agius, J. Borg Cardona 6, M. Mercieca 19, S. DeMartino 3, C. Sollami, A. Calleja, P. Ellul 2, N. Vella, M. Darmanin, C. Curmi 4.

Referees: B. Vassallo, G. Barbara and C. Farrugia.

Starlites champions

Naxxar Starlites were yesterday crowned Division Two (men) champions after winning their final series against Gżira Athleta.

Going into game four of the best-of-five series with a 2-1 lead, the Starlites eked out an 85-80 win to lift the BOV trophy.

Ivan Mitrovic, of Starlites, was voted Most Valuable Player.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.