Depiro stop Hibs' stride

Depiro Still stopped Hibs Go Mobile's unbeaten run in the Peugeot League to cut the gap from the leaders to one point. Naxxar Danone retained their third placing as Kerygma won the basement clash against Qormi Seiko.

Champions Depiro were looking to make up for their KO exit to Hibs last month. They led 17-7 after a good start but Hibs hit their best patch of the game to lead 28-22 midway through the second quarter. Trailing 34-31 at half-time, Depiro applied the pressure in the third session to open a 55-45 lead. Hibs were stunned. They lost their plot and could not wipe out the deficit to lose 71-60.

Naxxar consolidated their third position with a 54-36 victory over Luxol. The match had a quiet start with Luxol slightly ahead to hold a 17-15 lead at half-time. Naxxar stepped up their game after the interval to take the lead. Luxol's play became erratic as Joe Miceli's team never looked back.

Kerygma found strong opposition from Qormi but still managed to obtain a double with a 54-48 victory. Kerygma held a three-point lead by the end of the first quarter which they increased to 33-24 at half-time.

Ten points as the fourth session got underway saw Qormi only a basket behind. But Kerygma quickly recovered their early sparkle to thwart Qormi's comeback bid.

Standings: Hibs 17 (8-1), Depiro 16 (7-2), Naxxar 15 (6-3), Luxol 13 (4-5), Kerygma 11 (2-7), Qormi 9 (0-9).

Top-scorers: L. Bezzina (Hibs) 185, J. Calleja (Kerygma) 170, D. Galea (Depiro) 158, A. Darmanin (Hibs) 129, R. Debono (Kerygma) 126.

Today: Louis Borg Cup SFs, first legs - 6.15 p.m. Luxol vs Depiro, 7.45 p.m. Kerygma vs Hibs.