Valletta Lions vs Luxol Sherries Estates

Details

Date	Time	League	Season	Full Time
December 12, 2024	8:00 pm	BOV Men's Division 1	2024-25	'

Results

Team	1	2	3	4	T	Outcome
Valletta	21	17	16	30	84	Win
Luxol	23	29	10	10	72	Loss

Officials

Official
Fiorentina Ciurariu Gordon Barbara Nicky Azzopardi

Valletta

#	Player	Position	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OFF	DEF	TO	PF
2	Nicholas Grech	Shooting Guard	6	10	3	2	0	2	11	18.2	1	5	20.0	1	2	50.0	5	5	3	3
5	Francesco Mifsud Bonnici	Point Guard	12	2	11	5	0	4	9	44.4	0	1	0.0	4	6	66.7	0	2	5	1
9	Piotr Stelmach	Power Forward	20	12	1	0	0	7	14	50.0	1	4	25.0	5	6	83.3	0	12	0	3
21	Nikola Vasovic	Shooting Guard	25	5	1	0	0	7	18	38.9	4	9	44.4	7	7	100.0	2	3	5	4
27	Eric Terry	Center	21	13	2	2	1	6	12	50.0	1	2	50.0	8	11	72.7	4	9	5	4
15	Darrel Schembri	Center	0	3	0	0	0	0	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
23	Stefan Vincic	Small Forward	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	Total		84	45	18	9	1	26	65	40.0	7	21	33.3	25	32	78.1	11	34	18	16

Coach: Harry Savaya

Luxol

#	Player	Position	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OFF	DEF	TO	PF
0	Darron Howard	Point Guard	13	9	5	4	0	6	15	40.0	1	5	20.0	0	0	0	3	6	3	5
9	JP Schembri	Shooting Guard	0	2	2	1	0	0	3	0.0	0	2	0.0	0	0	0	1	1	2	2
10	Nathan Xuereb	Point Guard	17	2	1	1	1	7	18	38.9	2	10	20.0	1	1	100.0	1	1	0	3
13	Caleb Jones-McCrary	Power Forward	18	16	3	2	1	7	16	43.8	0	2	0.0	4	6	66.7	6	10	5	4
15	Stefan Cappello	Power Forward	4	7	0	0	3	1	6	16.7	0	2	0.0	2	4	50.0	2	5	0	3
4	Adam Azzopardi	Small Forward	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Vukasin Jandric	Small Forward	16	4	4	1	0	6	15	40.0	2	4	50.0	2	2	100.0	1	3	5	3
12	Nenad Bukva	Small Forward	4	5	1	1	0	2	6	33.3	0	3	0.0	0	2	0.0	1	4	1	5
	Total		72	45	16	10	5	29	79	36.7	5	28	17.9	9	15	60.0	15	30	16	25

Coach: Duncan Fenech

Recap

Valletta Lions secured an important victory in their pursuit of a playoff berth, triumphing over Luxol Sherries Estates, who suffered their second successive defeat.

Valletta opened proceedings with Piotr Stelmach asserting dominance in the paint, contributing crucial early points. Luxol responded with Darron Howard and Caleb Jones-McCrary driving fast-break plays to level the score. However, Nikola Vasovic’s three-pointer and a composed performance from the free-throw line by Francesco Mifsud Bonnici helped Valletta maintain a narrow lead. A late surge by Jones-McCrary ensured Luxol edged the first quarter, 23-21.

In the second period, Luxol found their rhythm through Nathan Xuereb’s sharp perimeter shooting and Vukasin Jandric’s aggression in the paint. A seven-point run by Luxol, capped by a fast-break three-pointer from Xuereb, put them firmly in control. Valletta’s Vasovic hit a much-needed three-pointer to halt the momentum, but Luxol’s defensive rebounds and quick transitions kept them ahead. Mifsud Bonnici’s layup cut into the deficit before halftime, yet Luxol remained dominant, leading 52-38.

The third quarter saw Valletta claw their way back. Eric Terry’s strong presence in the paint energised the team, while Stelmach and Vasovic combined for critical points to trim Luxol’s lead to single digits. Despite Luxol’s efforts through Howard and Jandric, Valletta’s defence tightened, and their efficient free-throw shooting kept them within striking distance. By the end of the quarter, Valletta had reduced the gap to eight, 62-54.

The final quarter Valletta’s for the taking, and they did just that with a solid showing. Vasovic’s three-pointer early in the period sparked a run that saw the team claim their first lead since the opening quarter. Mifsud Bonnici’s composed finishing and Vasovic’s continued scoring, including a series of free throws, extended Valletta’s advantage. Luxol struggled to respond, as Valletta’s defence stifled their attempts to regain momentum before a late three-pointer from Terry sealed the victory.