BUPA Luxol 56

Hamrun L. Go Mobile 61

(10-19)(13-7)(23-19)(10-14)

Hamrun won a tense and exhausting game to progress to their first ever final. They took good leads on several occasions but Luxol always came back, though they failed right at the end, as Robert Azzopardi’s trey agonisingly bounced out.

Liberty started with a couple of mistakes and then quickly went 0-6 down. When they settled down Hamrun went into a 9-0 run, starting with an Omar Said trey.

A Marco Spiteri hoop stopped the run, but Liberty came back again, this time with a 10-0 run, and another couple of treys, and after the first session it was a 19-10 score.

Hamrun increased their lead at the start of the second session but Luxol recovered as Liberty began failing their shots.

Luxol came close and at the interval it was 26-23 for Liberty.

After the break it was still a close game at first as Hamrun replied to the Violets’ attempts to get nearer. A series of free shots pushed Liberty ahead on a 37-28 score. Luxol came back and a 9-2 run made it a closer match again, at 37-39 behind.

Luxol did not stop there and Steve Schembri’s trey gave them the lead. They momentarily lost it but Schembri popped up again with his treys, and after three sessions it was Luxol in front, at 46-45.

Hamrun came out with a flurry in the final quarter, storming into a 12-2 run, including treys by Abraham Portelli.

Luxol recovered yet again, cutting down the deficit once more, and going to just a point down, at 56-57. Hamrun just held out and a couple of baskets heralded Hamrun’s entry into the final, where Pembroke await them.

The first game of the final is being played tomorrow at Ta’ Qali, starting at 4.15pm.

Luxol: M Mercieca 14, R Azzopardi 2, M Micallef, D Schembri, B Micallef Trigona, M Bonnici, R Dalli 4, A Bianchi 2, E Caruana Montaldo, S Cassar 15, S Schembri 19.

Hamrun: S Pace 17, K Borg, D Camilleri, A Spiteri 7, A Borg 3, A Portelli 10, O Said 19, J Jetson 5, N Falzon, I Terribile, S Gouder.

Refs: C. Farrugia, S. Micallef.