Bupa Luxol 78
Compleet IS SW 66
(14-23, 21-11, 18-18, 25-14)
Leaders BUPA Luxol maintained their perfect start to the Gatorade League with victory over nearest rivals Compleet IS SW on Sunday. Siggiewi Smina had the better of Floriana while Depiro ended Mellieha's slender hopes of a Championship Pool place.
Bupa Luxol 78
Compleet IS SW 66
(14-23, 21-11, 18-18, 25-14)
Boosted by the return of playmaker Alan Borg and forward Robert Azzopardi, who missed the last two matches due to suspension, Luxol recovered from a difficult start to inflict the third league defeat on rivals Compleet IS SW.
Compleet IS felt the absence of chief points-getter Michael Naudi, injured, but they only have themselves to blame for this defeat as no team can afford to squander 14 free-throws in a quarter and a half and still hope to win.
Joe Galea's team dominated underneath the boards early on gaining an edge to lead 21-8 after seven minutes. Substitutions and a time-out helped Luxol to regroup and share the exchanges till the end of the quarter, 23-14.
Luxol made a strong start to the second session. Pembroke lost their shooting touch and John Tabone's men took advantage to turn the result in their favour by the fifth minute, 27-26. At half-time, they still held that one-point lead over Compleet IS - 35-34.
The third session was close, Luxol leading narrowly 53-52 despite losing Borg after four minutes for sarcastically applauding a referee's decision.
The stage was set for a thrilling final quarter. The score was level after five minutes, 60-all, but Compleet IS shot themselves in the foot with a series of misses from the free-throw line. Luxol nailed two consecutive three-pointers which set them on the way to victory.
Luxol: R. Dalli, M. Mercieca 5, R. Azzopardi 22, S. Mizzi, A. Borg 2, A. Bianchi, M. Bonnici, T. Paris, D. Schembri 20, M. Matijevic 20, S. Schembri 9.
Compleet IS: I. Baldakov, C. Calleja, E. Bezzina 1, J. Galea, T. Riolo 7, O. Said 20, A. Micallef 17, K. Baldacchino 2, S. Cassar 19, R. Mifsud.
Refs: B. Vassallo, G. Barbara, A. Micallef.
Floriana 41
Siggiewi Smina 54
(6-10, 2-23, 17-12, 16-9)
Siggiewi had an impressive 23-2 run in the second session that virtually sealed the match and a place in the Championship Pool.
Coach Alex Farrugia, who served the first of a two-match courtside ban last weekend, will have been delighted with Siggiewi's win but knows that his side must improve considerably if they are to challenge for the league title. Peter Shoults returned for Siggiewi after completing a two-match suspension.
Floriana, once again, confirmed their limitations and weaknesses, most notably their inability to sustain a high-level performance throughout all four sessions.
With the biting cold making life somewhat harder for both teams, Siggiewi eased off after taking an 8-0 lead.
Floriana took the opportunity to get back in the game after Adrian Sultana potted their first basket in the eighth minute. They trailed 6-10 at the end of the first session.
Floriana's comeback was short-lived, however, as Siggiewi were dominant in the second session, racing to a strong 33-8 lead by lemon time.
After the interval, Siggiewi resorted to individual play and Floriana slowly improved to reduce the deficit.
Leading 45-25 at the start of the last quarter, Siggiewi saw their advantage trimmed to 11 points, 47-36, with five minutes to go. Floriana then played into Siggiewi's hands with a series of hurried shots which put an end to their comeback bid.
Floriana: M. Pajec 3, B. Riolo 6, J. Tanti 9, K. Azzopardi, R. Micallef Trigona, G. Gilson, S. Saakian 10, A. Sultana 10, K. Borg 3.
Siggiewi: L. Camilleri 13, A. Portelli 4, I. Mercieca 5, P. Shoults 11, J.P. Bonnici 9, A. Bonnici 10, J.P. Antoncich 2, B. Zammit.
Referees: J.P. Sammut, E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro.
Depiro 78
Mellieha SVS 67
(16-6, 14-18, 24-13, 10-27, 14-3)
Both sides had several players missing but Mellieha were the worst hit as they struggled without their tall players.
Mellieha made a remarkable comeback to force extra-time, only to buckle under their opponents' growing pressure towards the end of the additional session.
After a slow opening, Depiro notched 10 consecutive points to lead 16-6 at the end of the first quarter. Substitutions allowed Mellieha to share the exchanges in the second session and narrow the gap to six points, 30-24.
After getting to within a point of Depiro, 36-35, brothers Chris and Steve Sammut lost their way and Depiro regained the initiative to move 54-37 ahead.
When everything seemed lost for Mellieha, coach Hilary Fenech switched to full-court press. Depiro lost their composure and two consecutive three-pointers by Emman Xuereb in the last 20 seconds put Mellieha on level terms at 64-all and sent the game into extra-time.
Any hopes Mellieha had of gaining victory faded away though as Depiro captain Roderick Vella inspired his team to a merited victory.
Depiro: R. Vella 35, D. Debono 1, I. Tanti 2, G. Muscat 1, A. Aquilina 15, A. Tabone 8, J. Gatt 6, M. Arsovski, E. Lupo 10.
Mellieha: C. Sammut 11, J. Naudi 16, S. Sammut 13, E. Xuereb 12, M. Pisani 5, M. Cauchi, J. Jetsen 10, R. Loporto.
Referees: B. Vassallo, J.P. Sammut, E. Mangani.
Gatorade League
Friday, 7.45 p.m. Depiro vs Luxol; Saturday, 4.15 p.m. Compleet IS vs Floriana; Sunday, 2.30 p.m. Siggiewi vs Mellieha.
Standings: Luxol 18 (9-0), Compleet 15 (6-3), Siggiewi 14 (5-4), Depiro 13 (4-5), Mellieha 12 (3-6), Floriana 9 (0-9).
Top scorers: M. Matijevic (Luxol) 201, R. Vella (Depiro) 160, D. Schembri (Luxol) 147, S. Cassar (Pembroke) 138, C. Sammut (Mellieha) 133.