Women
Depiro Still 67
Luxol Vodafone 53
(Agg 115-97)
(19-15)(13-12)(17-16)(18-11)
Depiro made quite sure of a place in the final, displaying none of the hesitation in the first game, won by only a few points. This time it was a more convincing win, but they took some time to acquire it.
In fact Luxol were a match in the opening session, keeping well in touch and only lost their lead in the final stages, thanks to Rachel Camilleri’s points.
In the second quarter the Violets came back once more to level the game at 23-23, before Depiro took command and a 9-2 run gave them a half time lead at 32-27.
After the break Luxol denied Depiro the possibility of extending their lead and they also managed to grab a 41-32 lead, with a Debbie Littlejohn try, but from then on Depiro made their presence felt on court and a session-ending 11-1 run gave them a 49-42 lead before the last quarter.
Luxol did not have enough fight left in them, except for brief patches, and Depiro could easily increase their advantage to make quite sure at the end, through Dorianne Galea.
Depiro – 30 Dorianne Galea;14 Rachel Camilleri
Luxol – 15 Amanda Sciortino
Referees – Carlo Farrugia, Jennifer Mangani
Hibs GoMobile 84
Kerygma 48
(Agg 196-108)
(27-4)(15-8)(21-19)(21-17)
Having practically won a place in the final in the first match, Hibs could afford to give their youngsters a long try-out.
But first they established their superiority once more, in the first session as they systematically broke down Kerygma’s resistance and piled up a good score.
The second quarter saw Josette Calleja getting her usual tries for Kerygma but Fiona Schembri had some good shooting for Hibs as the Paolites managed to increase their lead till the interval buzzer, on to a 42-12 score.
On the third quarter, Kerygma more than held their own and a 13-5 break in their favour augured well, but Hibs; stalwarts went back on court, producing a 12-2 run, and it was back to familiar scores again, in fact a 63-31 third session lead.
In the final session there was nothing at stake, and both sides were careless in their play and points were fewer. Hibs then made a quick 13-2 run, to close the match on 84-48
Hibs – 18 Lucienne Bezzina; 16 Alexis Darmanin
Kerygma – 14 Josette Calleja; 13 Agnetta Xuereb
Referees – Alfred Carbonaro, Joe Borg
Men
BUPA Luxol 71
Footwork 55
(Agg 139-126 for Luxol)
(15-17)(17-10)(14-18)(25-10)
Luxol pulled off a second match win to overturn the result and progress to the final. Footwork fell away dramatically in the last session to hand Luxol a lifeline which the Violets gladly accepted.
Luxol had a further blow besides the injury of Steve Schembri, with Robert Azzopardi not fully recovered from the previous day’s defeat when he had to cry out of the game.
Luxol started by wiping off the deficit from the first game, but Footwork did not take long to force a lead after a Louis Camilleri trey.
They fully believed once more but two Chris Sammut free throws a few seconds from time gave Footwork a 17-15 session lead.
In the second session Footwork’s superior speed gave them an edge and they held off Luxol and went on to a 25-20 advantage.
Alex Bianchi’s re-entry helped the Violets as they re-organised themselves and swept back in front. A long 12-2 run enabled them to finish the second quarter on a 32-27 lead.
After the break Footwork’s pressure paid off and an 8-2 run restored their advantage, as Addison Bonnici made his shots count.
Luxol clawed their way back to tie the game but the Violets were right back breathing down their necks, and Marco Mercieca made a last gasp lay-up for Luxol to lead 46-45 after three sessions.
The last quarter saw Silvio Cassar back to his shooting best as he helped Luxol to achieve a maximum lead of 59-47. Footwork were hit hard and were unable to retaliate, as the Violets kept on increasing their lead. Footwork did make an extra effort in the last stages, but it was a case of too little too late as Luxol made their way into the final.
Luxol – A. Cremona 4 , M. Mercieca 10, M. Micallef 2, D. Schembri 9, B. Micallef Trigona 4, M. Bonnici, R. Dalli 2, A. Bianchi 9, E. Caruana Montaldo, S. Cassar 31, C. Pulis
Footwork – L. Camilleri 11, S. Sammut 9, I. Mercieca 3, C. Sammut 12, M. Barberi, J.P. Bonnici, A. Bonnici 18, A. Huizer , E. Xuereb 2
Referees – Carlo Farrugia, Gordon Barbara
Siggiewi Smina 55
Pembroke Athleta 93
(Agg 96-174 for Pembroke)
(15-18)(12-24)(19-23)(9-28)
With a place in the final already assured from the first game, Pembroke could operate with minds at rest against a side intent on limiting the extent of the damage against them.
Siggiewi gave it their best shot but they were clearly at a disadvantage against seasoned opponents.
As in the first match, Siggiewi started off with Pembroke replying to each hoop. Despite Pembroke’s treys, Siggiewi still kept their lead, up to a 13-9 score, but then Julian Naudi’s points pushed Pembroke ahead, and it was an 18-15 match after the opening session, which saw Michael Naudi and Matthew Zammit on the bench for Pembroke.
In the second session, with a complete change of players on court, Pembroke started pulling away from their opponents. They also continued with their treys as Siggiewi could only reply through Jeffrey Gatt’s points. Young Jonathan Zammit repeated his first match foray with another trey, and at the interval it was a 42-26 match.
After the break Pembroke kept on their way and double treys by JP Azzopardi, and Don Ross saw the champions’ lead escalate to a 59-31 score. Paul Ferrante emulated his opponents, also grabbing a couple of treys as both sides started playing an open game. After three sessions it was a 65-45 game.
The last quarter was too much for Siggiewi as Pembroke’s intense pressure brought results for them but Siggiewi were hit hard and often, as the champions displayed great mobility and team play. Their score shot up with Siggiewi unable to retaliate.
At the end, both sides were shooting on sight.
Siggiewi – M. Farrugia , P. Ferrante 12, P. Falzon 2, J. Doughty, A. Agius, R. Mifsud 7, B. Riolo, A. Farrugia, C. Grixti 4, J. Gatt 30.
Pembroke – M. Naudi 19, J. Naudi 13, M. Zammit 8, E. Bezzina 15, J. Galea 2, J. Degiorgio, J. Zammit 5, JP Azzopardi 9, D. Cuschieri 7, M. Pisani 2, D. Ross 13
Refs – B. Vassallo, S. Micallef.