Sliema Wanderers 87 – Bupa Luxol 71

(15-17, 36-36, 62-45)

Dawn iz-zewg nahat nizlu ghal din il-finali b’rekord identiku fl-istorja, fis-sens li kemm Luxol kif ukoll Sliema (ex-Pembroke) kienu rebhu din it-tazza hames darbiet minn disa’ dehriet fil-finali.

Luxol, rebbieha tan-Knock-Out fl-istagun li ghadda, l-ahhar li rebhu din it-tazza kien fl-2003, ezattament kontra Pembroke, waqt li Pembroke kienu rebhu t-tazza fl-2004 incidentalment kontra l-istess Luxol. Fl-istagun li ghadda kienu Hamrun Liberty li rebhu dan l-unur.

Kien ta’ sodisfazzjon ghall-familja tal-basketball lokali li wiehed jerga jilqa lura fil-padiljun lill-coach ta’ Luxol, John Tabone. Wiehed jammira l-kuragg li wera fl-ahhar xhur dan il-coach bi storja twila fil-basketball Malti u minn dawn il-kolonni jaslu awguri onesti ghall-futur.

F’din il-finali wkoll kien hemm l-introduzzjoni ghall-ewwel darba, fil-kamp maskili hawn Malta, tas-sistema bi tliet referees. Din is-sistema issa se tkompli tigi wzata fil-kampjonat lokali li jibda fi tmiem il-gimgha d-diehla.

Luxol ghalqu l-ewwel perjodu basket minn fuq 17-15. Kienu Sliema li hadu l-ewwel vantagg 8-3 wara 3-pointer minn Etienne Bezzina izda bl-iskor 9-6 favur Sliema, kienu Luxol li kisbu l-ewwel break sinjifikanti meta ppottjaw 11-il punt minghajr risposta mibdi minn freeshots ta’ Edgar Caruana Montaldo u bil-kwintett inizzjali kollha jiksbu xi punt f’dan il-break.

Kienu xuttijiet mid-distanza ta’ Duncan Cuschieri u Omar Said li zammew kuntatt mill-vicin ghal Sliema (li kellhom lil coach Joe Galea sospiz) fl-ahhar battuti tal-perjodu wara li Luxol aktar kmieni kienu 17-9 minn fuq.

It-tieni perjodu kien ukoll ferm bilancjat tant li z-zewg nahat dahlu jistiehu f’parita’ 36-36. Sliema kellhom id-dhul ta’ Michael Naudi li kie nieqes fl-ewwel ghaxar minuti fejn kiseb tmien punti izda l-koppja ta’ guards zghazagh Chris Sammut u Marco Mercieca kienu precizi ghal Luxol meta qasmu 13-il punt bejniethom u kienu ferm strumentali sabiex Luxol wiegbu bi shih ghall-avversarji.

It-tielet perjodu kien il-perjodu l-aktar influwenzali ghar-rizultat finali ghax f’dawn l-ghaxar minuti Sliema kienu ferm aktar preiczi tant li rebhu l-perjodu 26-9. Huma kellhom break ta’ 10-0 f’nofs il-perjodu fejn Kristin Baldacchino u Silvio Cassar kellhom tmienja mill-punti. Steve Schembri u Robert azzopardi ppruvaw jwiegbu ghal Luxol imma Sliema dahlughall-ahhar ghaxar minuti sbatax-il putn fil-vantagg, 62-45.

Fil-ftuh ta’ l-ahhar perjodu Luxol kellhom zewg 3-pointers konsekuttivi minn S. Schembri u waslu 53-66 minn taht, izda gara li Sliema wiegbu bi tliet 3-pointers (Baldacchino, Bezzina u Said) biex l-iskor sar 75-53.

Minn hawn sat-tmiem iz-zewg nahat qasmu l-loghob b’Luxol jnaqqsu kemmxejn id-distakk inkluz bi 3-pointers minn Alan Borg u Azzopardi.

Lejn tmiem il-partita tkecca Said (Sliema), li kien l-aqwa skorer tal-loghba, ghal rimarki li ghadda lejn players avversarji.

Mal-horn finali, Luxol ipprotestaw fuq il-loghba. Il-presiednt tal-MBA, il-magistrat Antonio Mizzi mbaghad ipprezenta t-tazza lir-rebbieha, l-ewwel success ta’ Sleima W. taht l-isem gdid taghhom.


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 officiated 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 them 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, as it was known that Luxol had lodged a protest, due to Sliema's suspended coach, who was present for the match.

Sliema: M. Naudi 16, J. Zammit, C. Calleja, E. Bezzina 9, J. Galea, T. Riolo, O. Said 22, A. Micallef 3, D. Cuschieri 8, K. Baldacchino 11, S. Cassar 16, J. Gatt.

Luxol: C. Sammut 9, M. Mercieca 6, R. Azzopardi 9, M. Micallef, A. Borg 13, M. Portera, C. Pulis, D. Schembri 6, E. Caruana Montaldo 8, J. Jetson, S. Schembri 20.

Refs: Bernard Vassallo, Gordon Barbara, Emmanuel Mangani.