Luxol have better of Depiro in top match

Luxol swept aside the challenge of Depiro McDonald’s in the top match from the women’s league last weekend to go top of the standings with full points from two matches.

Val Drury’s girls are the only unbeaten side in all competitions this season. Last weekend, they had forward Francesca Paula Savona missing but still found a way past Depiro who had Maltese-Canadian Khalia Agius back in their fold.

Luxol were the first team to settle on court, taking a six-point lead, 17-11, by the end of the first quarter. They went on to maintain that advantage until half-time – 29-22.

With Emma Moore and Steffi DeMartino in fine form, Drury’s team upped the tempo after the interval to surprise Depiro who fell 55-32 behind.

But Adrian Mifsud’s Depiro were not going to give up easily. Sarah Pace began to find more space and chalked up 15 points to drive her team back into contention. However, her bold efforts were not enough for Depiro to avoid a 66-60 defeat.

In another match, Loyola launched their commitments with a hard-fought victory over Starlites.

Loyola, led by coach Kevin Zammit, had the better start to forge 9-4 ahead only for Tino Riolo’s Starlites to hit back and take a 21-13 lead by half-time.

Loyola recovered after the interval and 10 consecutive points pushed them 23-21 ahead. Starlites tried hard to cancel out the deficit but Loyola held tight to emerge 37-32 winners.

Also last weekend, St Andrew’s defeated Athleta for the second time following their success in the MBA Shield.

St Andrew’s relied mainly on veteran trio Josette Calleja (15 points), Madeleine Demartino (13) and Justine Mangion (13). They potted all their team’s points in a 41-35 victory over Athleta for whom Leanne Sciberras scored 19 points.

Standings: Luxol 4 (2-0), Depiro 3 (1-1), St Andrew’s 3 (1-1), Hibs 2 (1-0), Loyola 2 (1-0), Starlites 2 (0-2), Athleta 2 (0-2).

Top scorers: S. Demartino (Luxol) 45; S. Pace (Depiro) 43; L. Sciberras (Athleta) 28; E. Moore (Luxol) 26; B. Naudi (Luxol) 21, M. Demartino (St Andrew’s) 21.

Next fixtures: (BOV KO) Friday 6.15 p.m. Luxol vs Starlites. Sunday 2.30 p.m. Honey Athleta vs St Andrew’s; 4.15 p.m. Hibs Medsea vs Allcare Insurance.