Recap

Tigers BT and AtoZ Athleta faced off in a high-scoring affair that saw Athleta climb to fifth place in the standings, leaving the Tigers languishing at the bottom. In a game characterised by porous defences, players capitalised to notch season-best performances, including standout displays from Tigers’ Israel Lockamy and Athleta’s Kurt James.

Athleta seized early momentum, with Maxwell Amoafo opening the scoring from the free-throw line. Lockamy quickly replied for the Tigers, netting a fast-break layup followed by a three-pointer, swinging the lead in his team’s favour. However, James proved instrumental for Athleta, dominating in the paint with second-chance opportunities and converting a series of free throws to push Athleta ahead. By the first quarter’s end, a three-pointer from Lockamy and a buzzer-beating jumper by Sassoun Saakian left the Tigers trailing narrowly, 26-24.

The league minnows surged ahead early in the second quarter, fuelled by Lockamy’s efficiency from all areas of the court. His jump shots and fast-break layups gave his team a brief nine-point cushion. Yet Athleta’s depth shone through, with Amoafo and James combining for critical second-chance points. Late in the quarter, Juan Cefai Garcia and Caleb Matthews connected on back-to-back three-pointers to restore Athleta’s advantage. Despite Serge Hamparsoumian’s efforts for the Tigers, including a string of fast-break scores, Athleta entered the half-time break with a slim edge, 50-46.

Sandro Farrugia’s Athleta clan tightened their grip in the third quarter, spearheaded by James and Matthews, who exploited turnovers to stretch the lead into double digits. Lockamy and Hamparsoumian rallied for the Tigers, chipping away at the deficit with a series of acrobatic layups and jump shots. However, Athleta’s efficiency from beyond the arc, highlighted by Matthews’ clutch shooting, proved decisive. As the quarter ended, Athleta maintained a six-point buffer, 77-71.

In the final quarter, Tigers’ hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished by Athleta’s relentless offensive barrage. James, in particular, was unstoppable, scoring with consistency inside the paint and on the break. Matthews sealed the victory with a dagger three-pointer in the final minutes, ensuring Athleta closed out the game emphatically. Lockamy and Hamparsoumian tried to fight back, with Locakamy surpassing the 50-point mark in a remarkable individual performance, but the Tigers ultimately fell short.