Luxol prolong unbeaten run after edging past Siggiewi

Bupa Luxol 64
Siggiewi Smina 62
(14-12, 19-16, 14-16, 17-18)

Leaders BUPA Luxol obtained their eighth consecutive victory last weekend when they just edged Siggiewi Smina in a dramatic match that saw six players dismissed following incidents in the third session. Compleet IS SW stayed in touch after beating Depiro while Mellieha SVS increased the pressure on troubled Floriana.

Bupa Luxol 64
Siggiewi Smina 62
(14-12, 19-16, 14-16, 17-18)

Luxol just managed to hold on to their unbeaten run after a close victory on Siggiewi who had Addison Bonnici and Louis Camilleri missing crucial points from the free-throw line late on.

There was drama on court soon after the half-time break when six players, three from each side, were expelled. Both teams will be heavily depleted with suspensions for their next match.

Much more was expected from these two sides but there was too much tension most players very poor from their outside shooting. In the end, Siggiewi could have stopped Luxol's stride with more teamwork and better shooting.

Siggiewi potted the first five points but Luxol recovered from the free-throw line to complete the first quarter a basket ahead, 14-12.

Both sides were struggling to organise their play. Siggiewi's three-point lead, 21-18, was overturned by Luxol in the final minutes before the interval when a rare Marco Mercieca three-pointer saw John Tabone's team changing ends 33-28 ahead.

Luxol had the better start after the break to open a ten-point lead, 43-33. Then, all hell broke loose following an argument on court.

After a long discussion, the officials opted to disqualify Peter Shoults and Luxol duo Robert Azzopardi and Alan Borg. Siggiewi's Albert Spiteri and John Doughty, along with Luxol's Steve Schembri, were also sent off as they had entered court during the incident.

The refs' measures hit both teams hard, particularly Luxol who lost most of their shooters.

Siggiewi lifted their game to close the gap but their slack defending allowed Luxol to enjoy a slight lead. In the closing minutes, Bonnici and Camilleri fumbled seven free-throws to Luxol's great relief.

Siggiewi still had the chance to force extra time but missed an easy pot with a handful of seconds still on the clock.

Luxol: M. Mercieca 3, R. Azzopardi 11, A. Borg 5, A. Bianchi 3, M. Bonnici 1, T. Paris, D. Schembri 14, E. Caruana Montaldo, M. Matijevic 23, S. Schembri 4.

Siggiewi: A. Spiteri 2, L. Camilleri 12, J. Doughty, A. Portelli 13, I. Mercieca, P. Shoults 10, J.P. Bonnici 6, A. Bonnici 12, J.P. Antoncich, B. Zammit 7.

Refs: B. Vassallo, S. Micallef, A. Carbonaro.

Compleet IS SW 72
Depiro 54
(23-14, 16-13, 18-14, 15-13)

Compleet IS found little difficulty to beat Depiro and stay close to current leaders Luxol. Compleet IS were masters on the court and dominated underneath the boards. That proved to be Depiro's downfall as Compleet IS recovered five times as many rebounds as their opponents.

Depiro coach Dabor Mijatovic's decision to deploy one tall player did not leave its desired effect as Compleet IS took a 23-14 lead by the end of the first quarter.

They continued to administer their advantage till half-time to change ends 39-27 ahead.

The second part of the match was a carbon copy of the opening two quarters, Compleet IS in total command to secure victory.

Compleet IS: M. Naudi 7, J. Zammit, C. Calleja 2, E. Bezzina 3, J. Galea 2, T. Riolo, O. Said 18, A. Micallef 8, M. Zammit 8, K. Baldacchino 7, S. Cassar 17, I. Baldakov.

Depiro: R. Vella 20, D. Debono, I. Tanti 4, G. Muscat, A. Aquilina, A. Tabone 5, J. Gatt 6, M. Arsovski 18, E. Lupo, A. Costa, M. Mallia, D. Agius 1.

Refs: E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro, C. Terrible.

Mellieha SVS 75
Floriana 65
(20-20, 21-11, 15-17, 19-17)

Floriana missed the chance to score their first victory of the season as they whittled down in the last minutes of the match following an encouraging start.

Mellieha held a 41-31 half-time lead but Floriana looked better in the third session. They kept battling on but their efforts were quashed late on when messing up most of their attacks and paving the way for Mellieha to clinch their third league victory.

Mellieha: J. Naudi 9, J. Muscat, M. Pisani 2, E. Xuereb, J. Jetsen 14, M. Cauchi, J. Aquilina, C. Sammut 15, T. Degiorgio 6, S. Sammut 21, R. Loporto 8.

Floriana: M. Pajic, N. Falzon, J. Tanti 2, B. Riolo 2, R. Micallef Trigona, G. Gilson 19, S. Saakian 13, A. Sultana 12, K. Borg 17.

Refs: E. Mangani, J.P. Sammut, A. Carbonaro.

Standings: Luxol 16 (8-0); Pembroke 14 (6-2); Siggiewi 12 (4-4); Depiro, Mellieha 11 (3-5); Floriana 8 (0-8).

Top scorers: M. Matijevic (Luxol) 166, R. Vella (Depiro) 125, C. Sammut (Mellieha) 121, D. Schembri (Luxol) 107, S. Schembri (Luxol) 102.

Next fixtures: February 9-10 BOV KO semi-finals (draws to be made tomorrow).