Close match ends in Starlites victory
Starlites GIG 63 Depiro 57 (17-11, 11-21, 19-11, 16-14)
The two sides provided entertaining fare with leads changing hands to keep the large crowd present for this final happy. Finally it was Starlites who stayed the pace even if a last Depiro spurt nearly produced the goods.
With both sides boasting of top division players there was a certain needle to the match with a couple of players at either end standing out.
Starlites’ Michela Zammit Cordina ended up as the match top scorer and Anthea Micallef made good use of her zone line shooting.
Depiro had Julia Borg as their best scorer as she led Depiro’s last fling and Nicole Agius was a close second even if she missed important free shots in the final quarter.
Starlites made a dream start as they pummelled their opponents to begin with a solid 162 run and Zammit Cordina sinking a brace of triples.
Depiro left their feeble start behind them and crept closer to their adversaries till the end of the period as Julia Borg netted a last second triple from mid court.
In the next session, Depiro kept up their momentum and subjected Starlites to more misery with an opening 12-0 run beginning with a Nicole Agius trey as they swept in front. Starlites finally got going but they were still matched by Depiro. Late Zammit Cordina points and a second triple had Starlites nearer but it was Depiro ahead at the halfway stage on a 32-28 score.
After the break, Starlites didn’t take long to tie the score with Zammit Cordina fast breaks. The lead then changed hands four times as Agius made her second triple and Depiro were leading once more.
Here came a decisive break as Starlites finished the session with a 9-0 run to overturn the score and go 47-43 in front.
Starlites managed to hold on to their advantage just short of a double digit lead but then Depiro staged a comeback and two more Borg triples with another from Agius had the Mtarfa side just a hoop behind.
All was set for a grandstand finish but Starlites had Anthea Micallef and Mariah Fenech the latter netting three hoops in this last period to distance themselves and prevent Depiro from getting too close for comfort once again.
Starlites controlled the last seconds of the match with long possessions to emerge victorious and vindicate their top placing in the group matches, also denying a Depiro win over them in this category.
After the match came the presentation from the MBA president Paul Sultana to the Starlites co-captains Mikela Riolo and Michela Zammit Cordina.
Starlites: E. Degiorgio, M. Riolo 4, N. Schembri, K. Mifsud, M. Zammit Cordina 28, C. Cilia 10, E. Azzopardi, A. Micallef 15, M. Fenech 6, R. Camilleri
Depiro: N. Agius 14, T. Mifsud 10, J. Mallia, N. Ebejer, C. Camilleri 4, N. Agius, N. Hili 3, J. Borg 21, M. Micallef, N. Borg 4, E. Cassar 1
Referees: G. Barbara, K. Dworniczak, S. Tafilica