Loyola Xuereb Installations 70 – Mellieha SVS Leisures 59
(11-13, 30-29, 54-42)
Loyola kisbu l-ewwel rebha fuq Mellieha kif ukoll taw l-ewwel telfa stagjonali lill-istess avverarji wara konfront fejn it-tielet perjodu kien l-aktar influwenzali. Dan ghaliex sa tmiem l-ewwel taqsima kien hemm biss punt jifred liz-zewg nahat.
Gara izda li fl-ewwel ghaxar minuti tat-tieni taqsima, it-team immexxi minn Duncan Cilia hasad lill-avversarji u fetah distakk b’figura doppja (b’massimu ta’ 13-il punt) li mbaghad amministraw sat-tmiem minkejja l-insistenza ahharija minn Mellieha.
Kienu Mellieha, bi Graham Coleiro jikseb hames punti, li daqu l-ewwel vantagg, 11-7. Filftuh tat-tieni perjodu, break ta’ sitt punti (erba’ punti minn Keith Galea u basket ta’ Joe Vassallo) qaleb l-iskor favur Loyola.
Madankollu sa hin il-mistrieh, il-vantagg alterna bosta drabi bejn iz-zewg teamijiet b’Robert Loporto u Jonathan Ransley jispikkaw fuq in-nahat rispettivi.
Zewg 3-pointers u zewg free shots minn Trevor Grech ghenu bi shih lil Loyola sabiex jibdew it-tieni taqsima b’run ta’ 14-2. Minkejja li Mellieha, momentarjament, irrispondew, kienu Loyola li lejn tmiem it-tielet perjodu regghu nifdu z-zona avversarja b’zewg 3-pointers konsekuttivi minn Grech u Joe Vella rispettivament ghal 54-39.
Sforz grintuz minn Mellieha, kmieni fl-ahhar perjodu u b’hame spunti minn Ben Aquilina, wassalhom sa 52-57 minn taht.
Ghal xi minuti dan id-distakk baqa jippersisti sa 61-56 meta hawn Vella kiseb 3-pointer importanti minn fuq il-lemin ghal Loyola, basket li accerta r-ebha tat-team tieghu.

The only side left with an unbeated tag, Mellieha, were scuppered by a determined Loyola side, intent on avenging their previous three losses against the same opponents.
The third session was the turning point, as Loyola ran away into a good lead, and all Mellieha's efforts were to no avail, despite going near in the final quarter.
For Loyola this was a stepping stone to the final. Mellieha had Joshua Aquilina back, after his three game suspension, but had Ian Curmi and Mark camilleri missing. Loyola had the returning Clive Bonnici and Keith Galea, but Jean Kalzon, Clayton Agius and Roberto depasquale did not play. Graham Coleiro opened up well for Mellieha, going into a 5-0 lead.
Loyola's reply was a Trevor Grech trey, which then resulted into a 7-6 advantage. Mellieha turned the score around again, and Matthew Cauchi's entry on court provided them with a single basket lead after the opening session.
In the second quarter Mellieha improved on their lead at first, but then their game worsened, and although Loyola wern't setting any houses on fire, they managed to overhaul Mellieha, and go 17-16 in front. Mellieha recovered, went behind again, but a series of fast breaks and a number of free throws pushed them ahead once more. In the latter part of the session Jonathan Ransley obtained all of the points for Loyola, and despite an Ian Terribile trey for mellieha, it was Loyola on a slim 30-29 lead at the interval.
After the break it was Loyola who dictated matters, and Trevor Grech was in the thick of things. A 17-2 opening run, with two Grech treys, put loyola in a commanding lead. Mellieha tried to hit back, and they made two double hoop breaks, at different intervals. Loyola were equal to the occasion, and another Grech trey, followed soon after by a Joe Vella long one, put Loyola on velvet. Ian terribile then sank a trey for mellieha, for a 54-42 score for Loyola, after three sessions.
Mellieha had to come out strongly in the final quarter. A 10-3 run, in which both sides had treys, , Loyola's Vella and Mellieha;'s Joshua Aquilina, made it a closer game, at 52-57.
Then it was tit for tat, as Loyola held on till the late stages, when Joe Vella put in his third trey, to give Loyola some breathing space. It was enough, as time ran out on Mellieha, with the two sides obtaining their last points.

Loyola : C. Debono, G. Micallef 1, J. Vella 11, K. Galea 6, C. Bonnici 4, J. Vassallo 12, T. Grech 16, B. Soler 4, P. Lentini 2, J. Ransley 14, R. Depasquale.
Mellieha: S. Magro 6, M. Cauchi 6, M. Pisani 11, S. Aquilina 1, J. Muscat 3, B. Aquilina 5, J. Aquilina 3, I. Terribile 8, G. Coleiro 5, R. Loporto 11.
Refs: Emmanuel Mangani, Jean paul Sammut

Mosta 81 – SN Suns Bell Med 65
(15-12, 43-33, 60-43)
Mosta kisbu post fil-final kontra Loyola wara li warrbu l-isfida ta’ SN Suns wara konfront influwenzat minn zegw mumenti partikolari fejn Mosta kienu ferm aktar precizi. Tard fl-ewwel taqsima bl-iskor wiehed strett 33-31 favur Mosta, dawn ta’ l-ahhar kisbu run ahhari fit-taqsima ta’ 10-2 u mabaghad, f’nofs it-tielt perjodu, komplew b’run ta’ 13-2 biex sabu ruhhom 58-39 minn fuq.
Kienu Suns li fethu 6-0 minn fuq wara baskets minn Danbiel Agius u Robert Camilleri izda baskets minn Ray Muscat u Rueben Abela ghenu lil Mosta jaqilbu l-iskor favurihom ghal 13-7.
Erba’ 3-pointers minn oliver Sammut fit-tieni perjodu mhux biss innewtralizzaw il-punti avversarji ta’ Hubert agius izda zammew lil Mosta komdi 33-25 minn fuq.
Suns dehru li se jifthu l-loghba meta kellhom punti minn Michael Barberi (li ghamel l-ewwel dehra tieghu ma’ Suns l-istess bhal Anthony Shoults) u Kenneth Genovese ghal; 31-33 izda sal-mistrieh Mosta regghu hadu r-reidni tal-loghob f’idejhom u permez ta’ Muscat, sammut u 3-pointer minn Adrian Pace marru 43-33 minn fuq.
Muscat rega’ kien strumentali femr sabiex beda run ohra mportanti ta’ Mosta f’nofs it-tielet perjodu li ddistakkat iz-zewg nahat kwazi b’ghoxrin punt. Fl-ahhar pejrodu Suns ippruvaw jnaqqsu l-izvantagg izda kull sforz taghhom gie mwiegeb minn Mosta .


Mosta booked a place in the final, against Loyola, as they recorded their third win in four games against Suns, this season.
A determining factor were Mosta's treys, especially from Oliver Sammut, who bagged half a dozen, besides other players. Suns had a shorter bench, and with two new players.
Mosta also had Ray Muscat and his shooting to guide them through to the final. Suns had a changed side, with several missing players, six in all, and now have Michael Barberi, from Siggiewi, and Anthony Shoults, ex-Floriana. Mosta also had their share of missing players, three in all.
Suns made a good start, with Daniel Agius potting two out of three hoops. Mosta settled down and dictated play for some time. A 13-1 run, ending with an Oliver Sammut trey, agve them a lead, and they kept this till the end of the quarter, despite Suns' good ending to the session, which brought them nearer to their opponents.
In the second session Suns tied the score, at 17-17, with a Hubert Agius trey, but Mosta had their inspiration from Sammut, as he sank a couple of treys, for a 25-29 advantage. Suns were playing well enough, but they wer repeatedely hit by Sammut's continuous treys, and Adrian Pace got into the act too. Suns had Hubert Agius in that department, but they were still outgunned, and at the interval it was Mosta, ona 43-33 score.
After the break Mosta kept Suns under control for some time, and then Ray Muscat took over, with his fine shooting. A 13-2 run enabled Mosta to forge well clear. Daniel Agius replied for Sunsbut they still had a hefty deficit at the end of the third session, as Mosta could rely on a 60-43 score.
In the final quarter Mosta continued on with a couple of hoops, and Suns were short of ideas. They did stage a reaction, with an 11-2 run, and hoops by Reno Camilleri and Hubert Agius, and a Barberi trey. Mosta stopped the sequence, and then proceeded to sink in two more treys, and make sure of a comfortable result, in a high-scoring match. Mosta and Loyola now set their sights on the K.O. trophy.

Mosta: R. Abela 8, M. Bonnici 3, J. Micallef 2, A. Pace 3, R. Muscat 27, O. Sammut 22, S. Schembri, L. Deguara 5, S. Saakian 11.
Suns: D. Agius 14, K. Genovese 8, Rob. Camilleri 5, H. Agius 18, M. Barberi 8, A. Shoults 4, Ren. Camilleri 8.
Refs : Bernard Vassallo, Alfred Carbonaro