Holders Luxol face Pembroke

Depiro seek surprise win

The MBA Shield enters a decisive stage tomorrow. Hamrun start favourites to progress to the final when they face Depiro and in the other semi-final Pembroke will hope to complete a double of victories over holders Luxol in the space of a few days.

The last four line-up was made official after Wednesday's final round-robin matches which saw Pembroke finishing top of the standings after a 53-49 win over Luxol.

Hamrun placed second after beating Siggiewi 81-69.

Hamrun look strong enough to notch a second win in the tournament over Depiro. The league champions were a cut above their opponents earlier this month, emerging comfortable winners 70-54. But, Depiro are the only team to have beaten Pembroke this season and will be fighting to spring another surprise and move on to the final.

At present, Joe Galea's Reds are enjoying a psychological edge over Luxol following their exploits in midweek. They seem to be stronger underneath the boards where Michael Naudi, Jeffrey Gatt and Etienne Bezzina are making their presence felt.

Luxol coach John Tabone should have playmaker Chris Sammut back from injury. But, the team must pay more as a unit to successfully defend the title they won last year.

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