Caffe Moak Luxol 60
Gżira Athleta 64

(16-16, 10-12, 24-21, 10-15)

Gżira Athleta lifted the Super Cup trophy for the third time in their history, 20 years after their last success in the same competition, after a hard-fought match against Luxol.

There was nothing to separate the two sides throughout and the win could have gone either way.

“The team that committed the least number of mistakes won,” the Gżira Athleta assistant coach Simone Zammit said.

“Obviously while we were missing Christina Grima, Luxol were playing for the first time without Stephanie De Martino who was their player of the season last term. So it was clear that both teams had to adapt to a new playing style.” 

Luxol, now under the charge of Chris Stolph, were trying to notch a seventh consecutive Super Cup triumph and had a sprightly start going 10-2 up early on.

But this lead was quickly neutralised by Gżira Athleta who were led by the returning American import Amelia Simmons who seems to have a clear objective for the season.

“This year we are focused on reaching our aim to win the championship after coming so close by making it to the finals but could not pull it off,” Simmons said.

Gżira’s Amelia Simmons goes for the basket against Luxol. Photo: Wally GaleaGżira’s Amelia Simmons goes for the basket against Luxol. Photo: Wally Galea
 

“Most of the squad has been playing together for three seasons and we now have to blend in further together. This cup final showed we are halfway there.

“Of course there are areas to improve on but I really liked the way our younger players are becoming more confident and this Cup success was a great start.”  

Luxol did open up another small lead, 47-42, late in the third quarter but again Gżira Athleta managed to claw their way back into the game.

The Violets last lead, 54-53, came after a basket from their new import Ashanti Plummer.

Gżira Athleta quickly replied for a slender minimal lead which was maintained till the final buzzer.

Luxol captain Sarah Pace, who topped her team’s scoring charts with 21 points, said: “We were not happy with a loss, however considering the limited pre-season preparations that we had due to injuries and the introduction of a new team, we had a positive performance.

“We did have some good team offensive plays, however we also missed quite a lot of easy shots and had a high number of turnovers, which were costly in the end.

“I believe this will improve once the team plays more together. We have lost two experienced players and this has changed the team dynamics drastically. However this should also give our younger players the opportunity to prove themselves and gain good playing time.

“It may take some time for the team to regain a good momentum but with some game experience we should be a competitive team.”

St James Hospital CEO, Maria Bugeja presented the Super Cup trophy to the Gżira Athleta skipper, Leanne Duncan, at the end of the match.

Luxol: S. Pace 21, C. Borg Millo, I. Baena Medina 7, N. Vella 1, A. Plummer 6, K. Portelli, V. Mateos, P. Ellul 7, C. Sollami, M. Darmanin 4, C. Curmi 10

Athleta: M. Pollacco, B. Zammit 9, S. Pisani, L. Duncan 7, A. Simmons 29, D. Said Hollier 2, A. Borg 4, J. Schembri, S. Vella 6, E. Pace, C. Mifsud 7.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, I. Simic.

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