Depiro Still reach final
Naxxar Danone move 2-1 ahead
Reigning champions Depiro Still made it a clean sweep in their semi-final series against Luxol Vodafone last weekend, claiming one of the final berths after a 3-0 triumph.
However, Depiro's perennial rivals, Hibs Go Mobile, are in danger of missing out on the final after they lost Saturday's third tie against Naxxar Danone who are now leading the series 2-1.
Depiro relied on their better experience to overcome Luxol's stiff resistance last weekend before moving to the finals for the third successive time.
They shot their way into the lead early on and despite a bold rally from Luxol, Charles Bonnici's girls still went in for the break leading 39-27.
Luxol continued to share the exchanges during the third quarter (50-39) but then 12 consecutive points for Depiro, at the start of the last session, put the issue beyond doubt. Depiro went on to win 66-45 and now start favourites to land a second successive league title.
Naxxar profitted fully from the fouls situation which hit Hibs during the opening three sessions of the match. Hibs coach Achille Pace had Doreen Parnis and Lucienne Vassallo back in the team after injury. However, along with all-rounder Antida Zammit, they certainly did not look match-fit.
To add to his woes, Pace had Dawn Aquilina unavailable as some of his key players had an off day.
Hibs had the brighter start but Naxxar came back fighting to open a slim lead which Hibs only managed to wipe out by the eighth minute of the second quarter - 21-20. However, it was Steven Buttigieg's Naxxar who went in for the break enjoying the lead - 25-21 - after the team rallied behind the coach's call for better play.
Hibs recovery attempts received a severe setback midway through the third session when towering pivot Marion Vella committed her fifth foul.
Their troubles were compounded as the last quarter got underway when captain Luciennce Bezzina followed Vella on the bench after harshly being judged to have committed her fifth foul as well.
The way was now open for Naxxar to consolidate their lead before claiming the spoils with a 53-44 win.
Next fixture: Sunday - 11 a.m. Naxxar vs Hibs.