Hibs and Starlites maintain 'favourites' status with second victories in John Tabone Shield

The John Tabone Shield return to the Ta' Qali Pavilion on Sunday afternoon for Week 3 and while Hibernians and Starlites both bagged their second consecutive victory to stay unbeaten in the competition, the Plaza Depiro and Valletta Lions remain winless so far.

THE PLAZA DEPIRO 64

HIBERNIANS 119

(19-28, 12-31, 17-32, 16-28)

Hibernians cruised to their second win in this season's Shield after claiming a dominant victory over Depiro on Sunday, leaving Sandro Farrugia's side with two defeats from as many games.

The encounter marked the first meeting against their former club for Cameron Cornelius and Miguel Brincat, who both joined the Paolites from Depiro during the summer.

Neither player enjoyed a prolific outing, scoring seven points each, but their contributions helped Christian Narciso's side secure a comfortable victory.

Nico Ashley (201-F-2002, college: CCSU) led the winners with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Malik Riddle (193-G-1999, college: HSU) finished with 25 points, including five three-pointers. Neil Cassar recorded a game-high 13 rebounds alongside his 12 points, while Ivan Demcesen and Matthew Attard contributed 17 and 16 points, respectively.

For Depiro, Nikola Bozovic led the scoring with 17 points, followed by Adam Mchala with 14. Trevon Reddish also impressed despite the defeat, registering a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Hibernians made a strong start as Riddle struck three times from beyond the arc, while Ashley and Demcesen added to Depiro's woes. Bozovic and Mchala kept Farrugia's side in touch, but Hibs maintained control and ended the opening quarter with a nine-point advantage.

Narciso's men then stepped up the pace, with Ashley scoring six points in an early 8-0 run that stretched the lead to 36-19. Mchala replied with six straight points to cut the deficit, but Hibs soon regained control. A 10-0 run, fuelled by Ashley, Attard and Cassar, saw the lead grow to 49-27. Riddle then added six straight points before Ashley struck again, leaving the Mtarfa trailing 59-31 at halftime.

Any hopes of a Depiro comeback faded after the restart as Hibernians produced another dominant spell. Ashley and Riddle led a 14-0 run that opened up a 75-33 lead, with Attard also striking from beyond the arc. Bozovic and Mchala tried to spark a response, but Riddle continued his fine shooting display with two more three-pointers.

Hibs remained firmly in command, carrying a 43-point lead into the final quarter.

The gap continued to grow as Narciso's side scored 17 unanswered points at the start of the fourth quarter.

Cassar, Ashley and Demcesen all contributed before Julian Micallef finally ended Depiro's scoring drought.

But Brincat then struck twice from beyond the arc, while Cassar added another three-pointer as Hibs maintained their fast pace and sealed an emphatic victory at the final buzzer.

THE PLAZA DEPIRO S. Galea, N. Bozovic 17, J. Micallef 3, L. Stefanovic 5, A. Trapani 5, A. Mchala 14, M. Vujcic 4, S. Kenely 2, M. Debattista 3, T. Reddish 11.

HIBERNIANS N. Cassar 12, M. Riddle 25, L. Attard 2, V. Kustudja 2, M. Gouder 4, F. Scala, M. Attard 16, N. Ashley 27, M. Brincat 7, C. Cornelius 7, I. Demcesen 17.

Referees: B. Vassallo, A. Attard, Z. Dobrosaviljevic.

VALLETTA LIONS 71

STARLITES NAXXAR 90

(19-32, 19-23, 18-18, 15-17)

Starlites secured a convincing victory over Valletta Lions as the Naxxar side maintained control throughout the encounter to claim another win in the Shield.

Valletta struggled to match their opponents' shooting accuracy, particularly from beyond the three-point line, with Kevin Brown carrying much of the offensive burden for Harry Savaya's side.

Brown finished with 27 points, all from close range or the free-throw line, and 10 rebounds to secure a double-double. Tamer Habash followed with 15 points, while Kurt Xuereb contributed 10, but their efforts were not enough to overcome the side's struggles from the field.

Starlites, meanwhile, made full use of their strength from long range, led by an impressive display from Miguel Fabri, who finished with 21 points after shooting seven from 11 from three-point range.

Kurt James followed with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Matthew Scerri contributed 13 points. Musa Jallow registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Robin Meyer narrowly missed out on the same feat with eight points and 11 rebounds.

On Sunday, Starlites wasted little time taking control, with Ian Felice Pace opening the scoring from beyond the arc before James added a layup.

Fabri then struck twice from three-point range to help his side build an early 11-2 advantage. Brown kept the Citizens in contention with a series of close-range baskets, but Starlites continued to find success from deep.

Scerri, Jallow and Kai Fabri all struck three-pointers as Paul Ferrante's men stretched their lead to 16 points. Xuereb helped Valletta reduce the gap late in the quarter, but another three-pointer from Miguel Fabri ensured Starlites ended the opening period with a 13-point advantage.

The second quarter followed a similar pattern as Starlites continued to dictate the pace. James, Felice Pace and Scerri helped extend the lead to 47-26 before Valletta mounted a response. Brown, Habash and Francesco Mifsud Bonnici combined for an 8-0 run that brought Savaya's side back within 13 points.

However, the Shield holders regained their composure, with Kai Fabri adding five points late in the quarter to establish a 55-38 half-time lead.

The Capital club showed renewed energy after the break, with an early three-pointer from former Starlites guard Andrew Aquilina followed by contributions from Brown and Habash.

The latter's three-pointer reduced the deficit to 12 points, but Miguel Fabri responded immediately from deep. He then struck twice more from long range as Starlites restored their comfortable cushion, taking a 17-point advantage into the final quarter.

Starlites continued to dominate in the closing stages, stretching their lead to 27 points through contributions from Liam Attard, Scerri and Jallow.

Brown led a late Valletta rally, scoring seven points in an unanswered 8-0 run, but the result was already beyond doubt as Ferrante's men celebrated victory at the final buzzer.

VALLETTA LIONS T. Habash 15, K. Xuereb 10, J. Mullings 5, F. Mifsud Bonnici 3, L. Farrugia, A. Aquilina 3, K. Caruana 4, P. Stelmach 4, K. Brown 27.

STARLITES NAXXAR K. James 14, K. Fabri 8, I. Felice Pace 7, M. Fabri 21, M. Scerri 13, M. Jallow 12, A. Sultana 4, S. Aquilina, L. Attard 3, R. Meyer 8.

Referees M. De Flavia, Z. Dobrosaviljevic, A. Attard.