Starlites GIG 105
BUPA Luxol 96

(23-20, 28-27, 21-19, 33-30)

Another high-scoring game was the outcome as Starlites GiG and BUPA Luxol battled each other with points aplentiful all throughout the encounter.

There was little to separate the two sides, save for two respective influential three-minute streaks by the Naxxar side in the second half as well as the latter’s higher percentage in long distance shooting with a dozen treys against Luxol’s half a dozen three balls.

In fact, the margin between the teams was always constantly low until midway in the third quarter when Starlites took opportunity of Luxol’s momentary dip in energy to pot a 9-0 run, courtesy of a trio of hoops from Konor Kulas and a trey from Matthew Scerri to suddenly open a double-digit lead at 70-59.

Luxol were, however, not done for and the Violets showed resilience to come back to just a solitary basket away, 72-74, after buckets from Keith Dimech and Stefan Capello early in the fourth and final quarter.

Yet, Starlites hit back again  with another 9-0 streak and this time, they managed to control the lead until the final buzzer as their subsequent treys kept Luxol, who did push hard for recovery, at bay.

The game set off on a high note with Kulas and Ryan Carabott giving Starlites the first lead but Luxol gradually finding their touch with William Claiborne a consistent threat under the boards and Vukasin Jandric continuously ready to strike from outside the key.

Luxol overturned the score for 20-15 only for Ian Felice Pace and Robert Bonnici to again pip Starlites in front by the end of the first rubber.

A three-minute nine point run by Starlites gave them some momentary headway in the second quarter for 42-34.

Yet, Luxol were quick to reply and reduced the deficit to 47-51 by the interval.

Although Jandric bagged in a brace of treys early in the third quarter, it was still Starlites that kept ahead as Kulas and Bobby Ahearn found more space under the opponents’ boards.

With Luxol’s Claiborne not receiving the same balls close to the basket, Starlites took the opportunity and hit their opponents with nine points on the go.

But if some may have thought that this was the pivotal game changing moment, it was in fact not to be as Luxol, following a time out, still managed to bunch up again and reopened the game by the start of the final quarter.

Here came another 9-0 streak from the victors with Kulas being the main point-getter.

With Luxol again trying hard to sneak back into the game, treys from the young locals Scerri and the Felice Pace brothers kept Starlites with a double-digit lead on their way to their fifth league win to join Gżira Athleta in second spot in the standings.

Starlites: A. Felice Pace 3, B. Zammit 3, R. Bonnici 11, I. Felice Pace 16, M. Fabri, M. Falzon, M. Scerri 9, R. Carabott 15, K. Kulac 33, R. Ahearn 15.

Luxol: J. Cefai, V. Jandric 37, K. Gauci, E. Caruana Montaldo, F. Mifsud Bonnici 3, J.P. Schembri 2, K. Dimech 13, I. Pace, W. Claiborne 29, S. Cappello 12.  

Referees: B. Vassallo, Z. Dobrosavljevic, I. Simic.

Hibernians 96
Depiro 88

(20-24, 23-20, 25-20, 28-24)

The game set off on a balanced note with the Depiro American tandem Quin Cooper and Cordarius Johnson immediately leading their side at the offensive end whilst Chandler Rowe and Nikola Vasovic replied at the opposite end for a 9-8 score midway in the first rubber.

Here, Depiro had a great patch when they hit their adversaries with a 13-2 run as the local guards Nicholas Grech and Daniel Farrugia also had a trio of hoops.

Facing a momentary double-digit deficit, 11-21, Hibs managed to close off the first quarter with a positive stretch coming off three Jay Hardy hoops and a Kieron Caruana trey.

The second quarter was characterised with the two sides replying to each other’s baskets. The lead was mainly in Depiro’s hands but Hibs were never far off as the interval had the two sides merely a point away from each other, 44-43.

After the break, Depiro still kept their noses in front thanks to their treys. They had a total of 11 three balls in the game as opposed to a mere three by Hibs.

However, the latter then were far more precise in the two-point field goal range as well as winning the rebounds game out rightly both at the defensive end and also at the offensive boards, an important factor leading to their ultimate win.

Following a Miguel Bricat trey and further hoops from Cooper, Depiro were 60-55 in the lead with three minutes to go in the third quarter.

In the remaining time before the quarter buzzer, Hibs managed to overturn the score as David Bugeja and Hardy led their side to a 13-4 run.

Depiro’s efforts in the final quarter were being always replied to immediately by the Paolites with the margin remaining constant for an 86-81 scoreline with three minutes to go.

Here Hibs made a bold move towards the win when they hit their opponents with four buckets on the go to suddenly open an important double-digit lead with time running out.

Despite late treys from Depiro, it was still Hibs who were the smiling lot at the end as they moved to the top of the standings albeit with a game in hand whilst Depiro are still fighting out the last play-off spot with BUPA Luxol.

Hibs: J. Hardy 20, P. Attard , D. Bugeja 23, K. Caruana 4, L. Farrugia, I. Bonett, N. Vasovic 10, A. Axiaq 7, M. Matijevic 9, M. Attard , C. Rowe 15, I. Demcesen 8.  

Depiro: C. Johnson 27, Q. Cooper 25, J. Attard, D. Farrugia 4, N. Grech 8, K. Xuereb 12, M. Borg, M. Brincat 3, T. Zammit, A, Chomo 6, A. Attard 3.   

Referees: Z. Dobrosavljevic, I. Simic, M. Hraisha

Standings
Hibernians (5-3) 13; Gżira Athleta (5-2) 12; Starlites GIG (5-2) 12; Depiro (2-4) 8; BUPA Luxol (1-6) 8.