Athleta Compleet IS 58
Siġġiewi Kent Boringer 62
(12-8, 18-12, 15-23, 13-19)
Siġġiewi defied expectations after they upstaged the erstwhile undefeated Athleta Compleet IS in last weekend's plum match.
Both sides paraded their latest signings. Lee Ross had a positive debut for Siġġiewi while US player Cameron Doughty failed to leave his mark in his first match for Athleta. Doughty clearly needs time to gel with his new team-mates.
Siġġiewi were boosted by the return of forward Louis Camilleri but Adrian Micallef and Marco Matijevic were still absent through injury.
Athleta playmaker Julian Naudi is out for the rest of the season with a back injury.
Both teams took time to settle down but it was Athleta who gained a slight lead at the end of the first quarter, 12-8.
After Athleta had widened their gap to 10 points, 24-14, they suffered a blow when top scorer Michael Naudi had to abandon the match after suffering an injury.
The introduction of Ross bolstered Siġġiewi who managed to share the exchanges until half-time, 30-20.
Siġġiewi stayed on top after the interval to forge 34-33 ahead. Athleta battled back to gain a slight edge, 45-43, for the last 10 minutes but they were hampered by the foul count of their key players.
As Siġġiewi upped their tempo, Athleta lost playmakers Omar Said and Doughty after both committed their fifth foul.
Despite Karl Borg's exit on five fouls, Siġġiewi took advantage of Athleta's struggles to open a commanding 58-47 lead.
Inexplicably, Siġġiewi allowed Athleta to make a late comeback but the latter ran out of time.
Athleta: M. Naudi 8, C. Doughty 6, M. Giusti, E. Bezzina 17, M. Grech, C. Galea, O. Said 9, C. Calleja, A. Bonnici 9, J. Zammit, S. Cassar 9.
Siġġiewi: P. Shoults 16, J.P. Antoncich, L. Camilleri 11, J. Doughty, E. Xuereb, A. Tabone 2, K. Borg 5, L. Ross 23, A. Costa, J. Jetsen 5, E. Baldacchino.
Referees: B. Vassallo, G. Barbara, J.P. Sammut.
BUPA Luxol 71
Loyola St James Hospital 55
(14-14, 19-15, 22-13, 16-13)
Champions Luxol overpowered Loyola to gain revenge for their defeat to the same opponents in the MBA Shield.
After a balanced start, Luxol's superior experience gave them a decisive edge as they punished Loyola's weaknesses underneath the boards.
Loyola moved 7-2 ahead in the opening stages but back came Luxol to tie the match at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Again it was Loyola who made the better start to the second session, 19-15, but then Dirk Schembri's prowess underneath the boards helped Luxol to overturn the deficit. They led 33-29 at half-time.
Luxol kept up their momentum after the interval. Injury put an end to Steve Schembri's participation but Luxol had little difficulty controlling Loyola's shambolic efforts until the final whistle.
Luxol: M. Mercieca 2, R. Azzopardi 7, A. Cremona 9, A. Borg 1, A. Portelli 4, N. Vasovic, T. Paris 1, D. Schembri 28, A. Spiteri, J.P. Bonnici 5, S. Schembri 14.
Loyola: S. Pace 5, B. Zammit, D. Camilleri 16, C. Cassar 2, N. Sultana 3, S. Vella, A. Axiaq 2, J. Mihajlovic 19, K. Baldacchino 7, J. Ransley, M. Cilia 1.
Referees: E. Mangani, S. Micallef, C. Terribile.
Standings: Siġġiewi 3 (1-1); Athleta 3 (1-1); Luxol 2 (1-0); Depiro 2 (1-0); Loyola 2 (0-2).
Top scorers: D. Schembri (Luxol) 53, M. Naudi (Athleta) 46, O. Said (Athleta) 29, S. Schembri (Luxol) 28, M. Arsovski (Depiro) 23.
Next fixtures: National League, Saturday 16.15 Athleta vs Depiro. Sunday 16.15 Siġġiewi vs Luxol.