Mellieha SVS 50

Loyola Xuereb Inst. 43

(13-5)(7-18)(19-8)(11-12)

The two sides were contesting their first ever championship final. It was a game of errors, in which some of the players on both sides were feeling the effect of an important match. The experience at Mellieha’s end carried off the result against the youth and exhuberance of the Loyola outfit.

Mellieha were marking their fifth win in six matches against Loyola, this season, although that single loss cost them the K.O. title.

There was a slow start to the match, with Samuel Aquilina making the first Mellieha hoop, after failed attempts at both ends. Lotola went into a lead, through Graham Coleiro, but Mellieha replied well, ans beginning with a Julian Naudi trey, they made up an 11-2 run, which took them to the end of the quarter, on a good lead.

In the second session both sides traded baskets, but a Michael Pisani trey for Mellieha gave them an 18-9 advantage. When it seemed that Mellieha had the game under control they started to miss their shots, and Loyola were heartened by close range hoops, in a 10-0 run. This was finally stopped by a Saviour Magro hoop, but Loyola replied again, to hold a 23-20 low score at the interval.

After the break Mellieha didn’t take long to level the score, but they were hit again by a Jean Falzon trey. Mellieha recovered again, and with the experience of Julian Naudi and Michael Pisani, they went 30-27 in front. Lyola did manage to tie the score, but Mellieha were combining better, and Pisani’s points were still going in, as they completed a 9-1 run, to lead 39-31 after three sessions.

In the last quarter Loyola dragged themselves back, and a Clint Grixti trey brought them within reach. Mellieha recuperated, and slowly extended their lead again. Loyola’s reaction didn’t bring them near enough, despite Ben Aquilina’s jitters in the Mellieha side. When Loyola tried to stop the clock, Mellieha's free shots took them away enough to make Michel Farrugia’s trey irrelevant in the last seconds. Mellieha took first blood, and now are strong favourites to land the championship title.

MELLIEHA: 2 S. Magro, M. Cauchi, 16 J. Naudi, 7 S. Aquilina, 12 M. Pisani, J. MUscat, B. Aquilina, 6. J. Aquilina, M. Camilleri, I. Terribile, S. Grima, 7 R. Loporto

LOYOLA: 6 M. farrugia, G. Micallef, J. Vella, 5 J. Falzon, 8 B. Soler, J. Vassallo, 6 S. Vella, S. Pace, 3 C. Grixti, 5 J. ransley, 10 G. Coleiro

REFEREES: Emanuel Mangani, Alfred Carbonaro