Siġġiewi open winning account, Compleet march on

Depiro 43
Siġġiewi Smina 57
(10-20, 5-16, 16-7, 12-14)

Siġġiewi bounced back from their defeat to Luxol to brush aside Depiro's challenge for their first league victory of the season.

Despite having Roderick Vella and rebounder Jeffrey Gatt back in their ranks, Depiro were unable to prevent Siġġiewi taking the initiative in the last minutes of the first quarter.

It was Depiro who potted the first basket but Siġġiewi reeled off the next eight points.

Inspired by Saasoun Saakian, Depiro recovered and moved 10-8 ahead but Siġġiewi refused to lie down. They staged a strong rally to finish the first session 20-10 in front.

One expected Depiro to bring more aggression to their game as the second quarter got underway but it was Siġġiewi who widened their advantage, 28-10, thanks mainly to Peter Shoults.

With Depiro having problems to conclude their attacks, Siġġiewi went in for the break with a 21-point cushion, 36-15.

Depiro were a transformed team after the interval but after reducing the gap to 38-25, they again allowed Siġġiewi to hit back and re-establish a healthy lead ahead of the final 10 minutes, 43-31.

In a balanced final quarter, Siġġiewi were able to administer their advantage to make sure of their second victory over Depiro this season.

Depiro: R. Vella 6, J.P. Schembri, D. Bugeja, A. Aquilina 9, N. Gatt, J. Gatt 2, D. Debono 3, E. Lupo 2, S. Saakian 9, I. Tanti 6, D. Agius 6.

Siġġiewi: J.P. Antoncich, B. Zammit, L. Camilleri 10, J. Doughty, E. Xuereb, I. Mercieca, P. Shoults 18, J. P Bonnici 2, A. Micallef 10, P. Vulovic 2, M. Pejec, J. Jetsen 15.

Referees: E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro, C. Terribile.

Compleet IS SW 78
Qormi 36
(15-11, 16-4, 27-17, 20-4)

There were no surprises in last weekend's second league match as Compleet IS SW maintained their unbeaten start with a comprehensive win over Qormi.

Compleet had Michael Naudi missing but gave a debut to French player Julien Valdisera.

Compleet had a difficult start as the score was 11-all in the eighth minute but two consecutive baskets pushed them 15-11 ahead at the end of the session.

Coach Joe Galea was clearly not pleased with his team's performance and made several substitutions in a bid to shake off Compleet's early struggles.

Qormi stayed in touch with their opponents until the fourth minute of the second quarter, 19-15, but then coach Alfred Mifsud was forced to change playmaker Karl Borg, who was on his third foul, with youngster Joshua Anastasi. The latter's inexperience was exploited by Compleet who profited from a string of fluffed possessions to open a 31-15 half-time lead.

Qormi improved after lemon time but it was not enough to break Compleet's dominance as the latter gradually increased their lead to 58-32 by the close of the third quarter.

Compleet dominated until the final whistle against the faltering Qormi.

Compleet: J. Naudi 10, D. Camilleri, E. Bezzina 6, C. Sammut 16, J. Valdisera 6, O. Said 7, C. Calleja 2, A. Bonnici 8, K. Baldacchino 7, S. Cassar 16.

Qormi: K. Scicluna 7, J. Sant, A. Baldacchino, J. Anastasi 2, R. Formosa 4, A. Tabone 6, K. Borg 9, A. Axiaq 6, H. Spiteri, D. Debattista, C. Bugeja 2.

Referees: B. Vassallo, J.P. Sammut, C. Terribile.

Standings: Compleet 4 (2-0); BUPA Luxol 4 (2-0); Depiro 4 (1-2); Siġġiewi 3 (1-1); Qormi 3 (0-3).

Top scorers: S. Schembri (Bupa Luxol) 50; M. Matijevic (BUPA Luxol) 47; D. Schembri (Bupa Luxol) 46; A. Aquilina (Depiro) 37; S. Saakian (Depiro) 36.

Next fixtures: Powerade League - Friday 6.15 p.m. Luxol vs Depiro; 7.45 p.m. Siġġiewi vs Compleet. Louis Borg Cup (prel round) - Monday, 2.30 p.m. SN Suns vs Compleet.