Recap

Mellieha Libertas powered past Luxol on Sunday to continue their solid run in the BOV Men’s Division One. It was a Mellieha’s game from the start and a first-quarter rush paved the way for coach Ian Terribile‘s clan to finish the afternoon with a 57-point victory.

Isaac Bonett opened proceedings with a three-pointer before Vukasin Jandric made it a five-point lead. Isaac Azzopardi responded for Luxol but it was hardly the brightest start for Luxol as they struggled to contain Mellieha’s opening rush, leading to a double-digit lead in less than five minutes. 

The Northerners looked better stacked and this became clear with the entrance of Robert Bonnici who came on to replace Corrado Mercurio and hit eight straight points – two three-pointers and a layup – and add to Luxol’s woes as the first quarter moved closer to its end. 

Both in the bonus with two minutes to go, Luxol were struggling to make their shots and a Stefan Cappello three-ball helped keep the Violets in the game as Mellieha held a 19-point advantage at the first buzzer.

Luxol’s Nathan Xuereb opened the second-quarter scoring from a fastbreak score before Tariq Woody hit next from under the hoop. But it was again Bonnici who scored from deep to stop any halt of a Luxol run. Tedrick Wolfe then made a 20-point game with 7.40 to go till halftime. 

Wolfe was the team’s dynamo in the first half with two blocks, double-digits scoring and assists to keep his side up by 20 points, amid constant attempts from Woody and Cappello. Luxol were growing in stature and with Mellieha in foul trouble, coach Duncan Fenech’s clan began to fight back. Nevertheless, Mellieha kept their cool to finish 53-31 at the break. 

Nikola Jovanovic opened the second half with a mid-range jumpshot but Mellieha’s Bonett replied with a three-ball. Jovanovic got him back with one of his own but as a team, Luxol were far from their best on offence. In fact, apart from a Marko Matijevic layup, Jovanovic was the team’s only scorer of the quarter while Mellieha’s Kwame Thompson got into double-digits with non-stop steals and fastbreak scores, combining with Alexander Peacock and eventually Thompson’s replacement Wolfe to extend their lead to 34 points with 2.50 to go, and 41 a minute later.

Already a mountain to climb for Luxol, Mellieha’s Thompson started the final quarter with a three-pointer before Mercurio added another. Youngsters Sebastian Pace and Adam Azzopardi both got scores for Luxol, the former being good from three-point range. But Ryan Carabott and Thompson fired in a quick response to start another Mellieha onslaught and keep themselves at a safe distance until the final buzzer.