Mellieha SVS Leisures 59 – SN Suns Bell Med 43 (18-11, 41-16, 51-29)

Friski mis-success fis-Shield, Mellieha fethu l-impenji taghhom fil-kmapjonat b’rebha merittat fuq SN Suns.
Dan kien success li nibet l-aktar fit-tieni perjodu li gie mirbuh minn Mellieha ghal 23-5 ghal skor ta’ 41-16 fil-mistrieh. Minn hawn sat-tmiem, l-istess Mellieha kkontrollaw il-loghob u qatt ma dehru fil-periklu.
Ghalkemm il-loghba fethet bi free throws minn Bernard Cini ghal Suns, kienu Mellieha li malajr feggew fuq quddiem 18-8 fejn Matthew Cauchi u Ben Aquilina qasmu 12-il punt bejniethom.
Breaks ta’ 10 u 8 punti rispettivi komplew jkabbru l-vantagg tar-rebbieha fit-tieni perjodu b’Ian Terribile jispikka meta kiseb 13-il punt f’dan il-perjodu waqt li Samuel Aquilina zied hames punti ohra. It-tieni taqsima kienet formalita fejn l-aktar li spikkaw mill-lat offensiv kienu Robert Loporto ta’ Mellieha (hames baskets) u Hubert Agius ta’ Suns (13-il punt) fejn dawn ta’ l-ahhar kisbu skor kemmxejn aktar rispettabli meta kisbu break ahhari ta’ 11-il punt.

Fresh from their Shield final victory over Mosta, Mellieha kept up their minning streak from the start of the season, as they obtained their first league win, and the double over Suns, whom they had already met in the Shield.
In direct encounters, though, it is Suns who have the dge, with nine wins and five losses.
The second session was decisive, as Mellieha steered clear of their opponents, to take a winning lead for the remainder of the match.
Mellieha had Joshua Aquilina in his second match suspension, with one still to go. Saviour Magro and Ian Curmi were also missing for Mellieha. Suns also had their absentees, Mark Schembri and Michel Curmi, but Reno Camilleri made a welcome return from injury, after losing three matches.
After Bernard Cini's free throws for Suns at the start, Mellieha took over. and Ben Aquilina and Matthew Cauchi gave them a 10-4 lead.
Suns found it difficult to retaliate, and fell further behind, but a good ending reduced the deficit in the session, as they went into double figures. In the second quarter Mellieha were still putting new players on court, and with Suns only able to reply from free shots, it was Ian Terribile who took the game by the scruff of the neck, and imposed his style of fast play and fleet beaks. He nade eleven successive points, with a trey.
Mellieha's lead escalated, and the agp was wide enough at the interval, with a 41-16 score. After the break, with the player rotation on both sides, the game was shared practically throughout the session, but Mellieha's good lead was hardly touched, despite a good ending to the session by Suns, with a number of free throws.
After three sessions Mellieha were still 51-29 in front, thanks to Robert Loporto's hoops. In the final quarter Hubert Agius' points gave the impression that Suns were going to make a recovery, but Loporto's fast breaks dampened the initiative. Play then took a turn down, but Suns were still hoping for a more respectable score, and with Mellieha being careless Suns put in an 11-0 run, snapped only in the last five seconds, with a Matthew Cauchi hoop.

Mellieha: M. Pisani 2, M. Cauchi 10, S. Grima, S. Aquilina 5, J. Muscat 5, B. Aquilina 6, M. Camilleri, I. Terribile 13, G. Coleiro 4, R. Loporto 14.
Suns: D. Agius, A. Camilleri 4, K. Genovese, Rob. Camilleri 6, H. Agius 13, A. Chetcuti, B. Cini 7, R. Buhagiar 2, Ren. Camilleri 2, M. Schembri, A. Bantick 9.

Refs : Stephen Micallef, Alfred Carbonaro

Malta U/18 67 – Mosta 64 (20-10, 28-29, 38-47)

Ghal dan l-istagun it-team nazzjonali ta taht it-18 il-sena se jilghab kontra t-teamijiet tat-Tieni Divizjoni bi thejjija ghal impenn li ghandu fis-Sajf li gej fil-Kampjonati Ewropej Divizjoni C.
Dawn il-partiti, madankollu, se jkunu barra l-klassifika fis-sens li ma jghoddux ghall-fini tal-klassifika.
F’dan il-konfront, mirbuh mit-team Malti, Mosta dehru resqin lejn rebha meta ghalqu t-tielet perjodu 47-38 minn fuq b’Sassoun saakian diga jikseb 24 punt. Gara izda li fl-ahhar ghaxar minuti, it-team taz-zghazagh nazzjonali, li kien ghalaq l-ewwel perjodu 20-10 minn fuq, wettaq rimonta (anke jekk Mosta bdew ibiddlu bosta players) u sa erba’ minuti mit-tmiem kienu gabu parita wara 3-pointer minn Shaun Pace u azzjoni ta’ tliet punti ta’ Clint Cassar. Zewg 3-pointers minn Billy Zammit u Pace fethu distakk ghal Malta u dawn ikkontrollaw l-ahhar pussessi.

Malta U/18: S. Pace 13, B. Zammit 5, L. Grech, A. Aquilina, G. Cuschieri 7, M. Portera 7, S. Vella, N. Sultana 8, G. Muscat 4, S. Deguara 9, I. Tanti, C. Cassar 14.
Mosta: M. Aquilina 2, M. Bonnici 3, S. Schembri 2, O. Sammut, A. Pace 4, R. Abela, R. Muscat 6, C. Farrugia 2, M. Spiteri 4, L. Deguara, S. Saakian 26, S. Gouder 15.
Refs: E. Mangani, S. Micallef