Depiro fail to beat below-par Compleet

Depiro Mtarfa 67
Athleta Compleet IS 69
(21-18, 11-21, 22-14, 13-16)

Depiro missed a good chance to close in on third place as they failed to beat a below-par Athleta. Some Depiro players performed below their usual standards but the same can also be said of Athleta, bar captain Michael Naudi who again proved decisive as he potted 25 points.

Depiro made a good start and led 21-18 at the end of the first quarter. Athleta, whose coach Joe Galea was serving a ban, had several youngsters on court and they did well to drive the team to a 39-32 half-time lead.

Depiro looked more determined after lemon time. Athleta were messing most of their shots and Depiro overturned the deficit to begin the last 10 minutes 54-53 ahead.

The last quarter was tense as both teams had their good moments. Then, four minutes from the end, Depiro's Marco Arsovski was fouled out.

Athleta were guilty of several missed shots from the free-throw line but Depiro didn't make their opponents pay.

Malcolm Mallia spurned Depiro's last chance to force extra-time as Silvio Cassar, standing in for coach Galea, opted to field his best formation for the last two minutes of the game.

Depiro: R. Vella 29, J.P. Schembri, D. Debono, M. Arsovski 13, A. Aquilina 2, J. Gatt, E. Lupo 5, M. Mallia 8, I. Tanti 6, D. Agius 4.

Athleta: M. Naudi 25, C. Doughty, E. Bezzina 11, M. Giusti, C. Galea 3, O. Said 13, C. Calleja 4, A. Bonnici 8, J. Zammit 5.

Referees: G. Barbara, E. Mangani, C. Terribile.

Siġġiewi Kent Boringer 85
Bupa Luxol 66
(11-13, 21-9, 27-12, 26-32)

More was expected from Luxol after their fine performance against Athleta in the Super Cup final the Wednesday before.

However, the champions looked tired and bereft of ideas as they missed the chance to make the third position theirs and secure a place in the Championship Pool.

After a shaky start, Siġġiewi took command as the game progressed with Marco Matijevic, formerly of Luxol, growing in stature. However, an air of over-confidence almost spoiled Siġġiewi's good work at the end.

Both teams took time to settle down but Siġġiewi did raise their game significantly in the second session. Profiting from Luxol's shooting errors, they raced to a 10-point lead at half-time, 32-22.

Luxol were unable to react and Siġġiewi continued to dictate matters. Two consecutive three-pointers by Karl Borg helped them pull further away and Siġġiewi started the last ten minutes with a comfortable 25-point advantage, 59-34.

But, for the umpteenth time this season, Siġġiewi complicated matters for themselves as they lost focus. Luxol narrowed the gap to 14 points with five minutes left, 65-51.

Coach Peter Farrugia was forced to re-introduce Matijevic and six consecutive points by the Serbian pivot handed the initiative back to Siġġiewi who eased to an emphatic victory, leaving Luxol in danger of missing out on the top three places.

Siġġiewi: P. Shoults 4, J.P. Antoncich 3, L. Camilleri 11, J. Doughty, E. Xuereb 1, A. Tabone 10, K. Borg 11, A. Micallef 7, L. Ross 9, E. Baldacchino, J. Jetsen 12, M. Matijevic 17.

Luxol: M. Mercieca 1, R. Azzopardi 8, A. Borg 3, A. Portelli 2, N. Vasovic, T. Paris, D. Schembri 16, E. Caruana Montaldo, J.P. Bonnici 12, S. Schembri 24.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, J.P. Sammut.

Standings: Athleta 19 (9-1); Siġġiewi 19 (8-3); Luxol 14 (4-6); Depiro 13 (4-5); Loyola 10 (0-10).

Top scorers: M. Naudi (Athleta) 238; S. Schembri (Luxol) 183; O. Said (Athleta) 181; D. Schembri (Luxol) 175; P. Shoults (Siġġiewi) 167.

Next fixtures: Tomorrow, Louis Borg Cup semi-finals 6.15 p.m. Siġġiewi vs Depiro; 7.45 p.m. Luxol vs Loyola.