Siggiewi Smina overcame BUPA Luxol's stern challenge last weekend to maintain their unbeaten record in the men's league. Pembroke SW obtained a comfortable victory over Qormi Kia while Depiro continued to climb up the ladder following their win over Floriana.
Siggiewi Smina 78
Bupa Luxol 74
(24-11, 19-19, 12-23, 23-21)
Siggiewi looked to be on their way to a comfortable victory after the opening two sessions but Luxol came back strongly after the interval only to lose their way in a tense finale.
Siggiewi had to do without rebounder Anthony Huizer, injured. They were first to settle down and with Luxol struggling to find their shooting touch, Alex Farrugia's team raced into a 24-11 lead.
Luck was not on Siggiewi's side though as they began the second session without the services of pivot Albert Spiteri who was plagued by a knee problem.
This setback hit Siggiewi hard as Luxol started to get more into the picture and were more dominant underneath the boards.
With Alan Borg, formerly of Siggiewi, taking the playmaker's duties, Luxol were finding their way towards basket more frequently now.
Siggiewi had foul problems already at this stage with playmaker Louis Camilleri and shooter Peter Shoults on three fouls each. Notwithstanding their difficult patch, Siggiewi held the upperhand at the break - 43-30.
Luxol surprised Siggiewi as the third quarter got underway. There was more cohesion among the Luxol players while Siggiewi just could not get going in attack. As Luxol moved 48-46 ahead, Farrugia opted for a time-out in an attempt to stop the rot.
Addison Bonnici potted crucial points after the restart as Siggiewi regained their composure and held a slight lead, 55-53, before the start of the last session. All was set for a stirring finale.
Midway through the session, Siggiewi opened up a 70-62 lead but Chris Sammut's three-pointers dragged Luxol back into the game.
Shoults, Camilleri and Bonnici were fouled out for Siggiewi but the league leaders closed all gaps in their zone to preserve the advantage until the buzzer.
Siggiewi: A. Spiteri 3, L. Camilleri 15, D. Camilleri 8, J. Doughty, A. Portelli 5, J.P. Azzopardi 9, P. Shoults 11, J.P. Bonnici 8, A. Bonnici 19, M. Shoults, M. Pajec, E. Xuereb.
Luxol: C. Sammut 17, M. Mercieca 1, R. Azzopardi 8, M. Micallef, A. Borg 11, M. Portera, R. Dalli, D. Schembri 11, E. Caruana Montaldo, J. Jetsen 11, S. Schembri 15.
Refs: G. Barbara, J.P. Sammut, S. Micallef.
Depiro 63
Floriana 53
(18-10, 18-15, 13-19, 14-9)
After their success over Luxol, Depiro maintained their winning trend by beating Floriana who had Adrian Sultana, the former Siggiewi pivot, making his debut.
The game was practically won in the opening minutes when 12 consecutive points gave Depiro a 13-4 lead.
Floriana, again relying heavily on veteran Don Ross, tried hard to get back in contention but their efforts were hampered by their inability to make good use of possession in the last minutes.
Floriana shared the exchanges with Depiro in the second session, going in for the break 36-25 behind. Maintaining their impro-vement, Floriana reduced the gap to five points late in the third quarter - 49-44.
With less than three minutes to go, Depiro were only leading 55-53 and it was at this point that experience played a key role in deciding the final outcome.
Depiro maintained their cool to recover their opponents' turnovers before hitting the points that secured their win.
Depiro: R. Vella 13, C. Cassar, M. Sammut 4, G. Muscat 8, A. Aquilina 2, A. Tabone 7, M. Mallia 13, B. Zammit 4, E. Lupo, A. Costa 2, I. Tanti 4, D. Agius 6.
Floriana: R. Spiteri, N. Falzon, J. Paris, A. Sultana 14, B. Portelli, V. Tarborov, B. Riolo 4, C. Gilson 3, R. Mifsud 6, G. Gauci Grech 2, D. Ross 24.
Refs: B. Vassallo, A. Carbonaro, E. Mangani.
Pembroke SW 84
Qormi Kia 54
(26-14, 25-12, 15-13, 18-15)
Despite having only eight players available for this match, Pembroke Sliema Wanderers were still good enough to beat Qormi who had Alfred Mifsud making his debut as coach.
Qormi opened a 10-5 lead early on but Pembroke soon went through the gears and with Michael Naudi in an unstoppable mood, they forged 26-14 ahead by the end of the first quarter.
Pembroke continued to dictate matters till half-time to build a reassuring lead, 51-26.
Qormi were more prominent after the interval as Pembroke eased their pressure. However, Naudi continued to add to his tally and finished as clear top scorer of the match with 33 points.
Pembroke: M. Naudi 33, J. Zammit 4, E. Bezzina 4, T. Riolo, O. Said 15, D. Cuschieri 5, S. Cassar 18, J. Gatt 5.
Qormi: W. Griscti, A. Grech 7, K. Scicluna 14, A. Axiaq 5, A. Camilleri 1, R. Formosa 8, J. Dalli 7, R. Baldacchino 6, C. Bugeja, S. Cauchi 2, A. Baldacchino 4.
Refs: E. Mangani, S. Micallef, C. Terribile.
Standings: Siggiewi (4-0) 8; Pembroke (3-1) 7; Depiro (2-2) 6; Luxol (1-3) 5, Floriana (1-3) 5; Qormi (0-4) 4.
Top scorers: M. Naudi (Pembroke) 97; D. Ross (Floriana) 77; S. Schembri (Luxol) 71; D. Schembri (Luxol) 58; S. Cassar (Pembroke) 57.
Next fixtures: Friday - 7.45 p.m. Floriana vs Luxol. Saturday - 4.15 p.m. Qormi vs Depiro. Sunday - 4.15 p.m. Pembroke SW vs Siggiewi.