Recap

Hibernians opened the BOV Division One season with a commanding 123-43 victory over Tigers BT, led by their American duo of Tedrick Wolfe and Derek Brown. Wolfe struck first with a series of quick layups, scoring eight points in the opening five minutes. Division One debutants Tigers struggled to respond as Keith Micaller’s early basket was their sole response to an unrelenting Hibernians surge.

By the midway point of the first quarter, Hibernians’ lead had ballooned to 15-2 following a fast-break layup by Matthew Attard, who finished with seven points in the quarter. A three-pointer from Stefan Simic later widened the gap to 27-2. Tigers BT briefly broke the Hibernians’ scoring run through Micaller and David Costantino, but it was a dominant 37-6 first quarter in favour of Hibernians.

Tigers BT’s Matthew Brown tried to reignite their offence at the start of the second quarter with a floating jump shot, but Hibernians continued their dominance. Neil Cassar scored on a tip-in, while Miguel Mallia added a three-pointer to push the score to 44-8. Despite a couple of fast-break efforts from Daniele Militello and Jhun Jhun Lisondra, the Tigers’ efforts were stifled by a relentless Hibernians defence, forcing multiple turnovers. Wolfe, Derek Brown, and Matthew Attard added to Hibernians’ total as they closed the half with a staggering 57-12 advantage.

The third quarter saw a brief flicker of life from Tigers BT, as Micaller sank a three-pointer early on, and Costantino followed up with a fast-break jump shot. However, Hibernians quickly responded through Wolfe, who delivered an emphatic dunk to put his team up 67-20. Derek Brown continued to pile on the points, including a three-pointer and several fast-break layups, leading Hibernians to an 89-30 advantage by the end of the quarter.

In the final period, Hibernians showed no signs of slowing down. Attard connected from long range, followed by more scoring from Simic and Cassar. A highlight-reel alley-oop dunk from Wolfe further ignited the crowd. Tigers BT managed a few late baskets through Brown and Sassoun Saakian, but Derek Brown’s late three-pointer sealed Hibernians’ 123-43 triumph.