Athleta Compleet IS 65
Siġġiewi Kent Boringer 59
(14-16, 16-10, 15-13, 20-20)
Athleta virtually made sure of the top place at the end of the first phase of the men's championship this season after beating nearest rivals Siġġiewi last weekend.
This was a balanced match but Athleta were always patient in their attack build-up besides having top scorer Michael Naudi in a fine shooting mood.
Both teams had to do without one of their tall players, Silvio Cassar (Athleta) and Marco Matijevic (Siġġiewi). The latter's injury was sustained at the beginning of the season.
Siġġiewi had the better start to open a seven-point lead (14-7) but Naudi soon clicked into gear and Athleta roared back in the closing minutes of the quarter to trail 16-14.
They continued to show the better qualities and though Siġġiewi coach Peter Farrugia opted for different moves to try and halt Naudi, his tactics did not produce any tangible results as the Athleta forward was unstoppable, helping the team to a 30-22 lead which Siġġiewi slightly reduced at half-time, 30-26.
The third quarter was shared but Farrugia's men increased the tempo in the last ten minutes and after coming a point behind, they suddenly lost touch and faltered badly on long shots allowing Athleta to nose ahead and control their lead till the final whistle.
Athleta: M. Naudi 35, C. Doughty 5, E. Bezzina 3, M. Gissti, J. Galea, O. Said 10, C. Calleja 3, A. Bonnici 9, J. Zammit.
Siġġiewi: P. Shoults 21, J.P. Antoncich, L. Camilleri 2, J. Doughty, E. Xuereb, A. Tabone 5, K. Borg 3, A. Micallef 12, L. Ross 13, E. Baldacchino, J. Jetsen 3.
Referees: E. Mangani, J.P. Sammut, C. Terribile.
Loyola St James 60
BUPA Luxol 81
(9-21, 13-21, 21-17, 17-22)
Luxol badly needed to win this match after a series of uninspiring performances. The champs had Alan Borg back after missing the previous match against Athleta.
John Tabone's team did not take long to impose their superiority over weak opponents and shot 21-9 ahead by the end of the first quarter.
Loyola upped their game as the second session ticked away but 19 consecutive points by Steve Schembri, including four three-pointers, saw Luxol leading comfortably 42-22 at half-time.
Loyola came more into the picture after the interval, but Luxol already had the points in their bags and found little difficulty to administer their lead for a morale-boosting win.
Loyola: S. Pace 4, B. Zammit 3, G. Cuschieri, N. Sultana 15, S. Vella 7, S. Borg 2, A. Axiaq 4, G. Mihajlovic 13, K. Baldacchino 12, M. Cilia.
Luxol: M. Mercieca 4, R. Azzopardi 4, A. Borg 10, A. Portelli, N. Vasovic, S. Pizzuto, D. Schembri 17, E. Caruana Montaldo, J.P. Bonnici 12, S. Schembri 34.
Referees: E. Mangani, J.P. Sammut, C. Terribile.
Standings
Athleta 19 (9-1), Siġġiewi 19 (8-3), Luxol 14 (4-6), Depiro 13 (4-5), Loyola 11 (0-11).
Top scorers
M. Naudi (Athleta) 213, K. Baldacchino (Loyola) 154, P. Shoults (Siġġiewi) 153.
Next fixtures
MBA Shield semi-finals: Saturday 4.15 p.m. Siġġiewi vs Depiro. Sunday 4.15 p.m. Athleta vs Loyola.