Sliema bounced back from their Shield final loss to Siggiewi, a week ago, to win the Super Cup in a decisive manner.
Luxol had a good spell in the opening stages, but a couple of trey galvanised the Wanderers, and from then on they could administer the game, and Luxol had to chase for the rest of the match. A collective effort was too much for Luxol to compete against, as Sliema won their first honour.
Sliema were without coach, Joe Galea, suspended from their last match, with his place taken by Joe Miceli.
Luxol were led by coach, John Tabone, who made a welcome return, for the first time this season. The game was controlled by three referees, as will be the games in the Gatorade men's 1st Division.
Luxol found a stifling formation facing them at the start, with no room to manoeuvre, but Sliema were not so hot in offence, and it was only an Etienne Bezzina trey which gave them their first lead, at 8-3.
Luxol then settled down, denying the Wanderers, and a good 14-2 run with an Alan Borg trey, pushed the Violets to a good lead. Duncan Cuschieri stopped the sequence with his trey, Omar Said added another soon after, to make it a closer game, with just a basket difference for Luxol.
In the second session Sliema's free shots gave them a brief 21-19 lead, but Chris Sammut's trey turned the score around. It was Silvio Cassar who came to Sliema;s rescue, with a couple of hoops, as they swung back to a 29-26 advantage.
Two fast Luxol breaks kept them in the hunt, but Cassar's accurate shooting enabled Sliema to hold on to their lead. A few seconds from the interval Caruana Montaldo tied the score for Luxol, at 36-36.
Sliema opened up strongly after the break, and it was Luxol's downfall, as they put in three hoops in a row, although Robert Azzopardi replied with a trey for Luxol. Sliema were playing confidently, and a 10-0 run, with Cassar and Kristin Baldacchino the protagonists, pushed them to a 53-41 lead. Luxol's reaction wasn't so strong, and Sliema could put their stamp on the game, as their lead increased. After three sessions Luxol had fallen behind on a 45-62 adverse score.
In the final session, after some brief skirmishes, it was the turn of the treys, as both sides traded half a dozen long ones. Luxol couldn't get near enough in the remaining minutes, and despite their late rally Sliema could coast through. The winners blotted their copybook when the game's top scorer, Omar Said, was sent off a few seconds from the end of a high-scoring match.
After the match the MBA president, Mag. Antonio Mizzi presented Sliema with their first honour.
It was later known that Luxol had lodged a protest with the MBA, due to Sliema's suspended coach Joe Glae, who was present for the match.
Sliema: 16 M. Naudi, J. Zammit, C. Calleja, 9 E. Bezzina, J. Galea, 2 T. Riolo, 22 O. Said, 3 A. Micallef, 8 D. Cuschieri, 11 K. Baldacchino, 16 S. Cassar, J. Gatt
Luxol: 9 C. Sammut, 6 M. Mercieca, 9 R. Azzopardi, M. Micallef, 13 A. Borg, M. Portera, C. Pulis, 6 D. Schembri, 8 E. Caruana Montaldo, J. Jetson, 20 S. Schembri
Referees: Bernard Vassallo, Gordon Barbara, Emanuel Mangani