In-form Athleta outclass Luxol

BUPA Luxol 66
Athleta A-Z Electronics 95
(12-22, 15-19, 23-29, 16-25)

Luxol paraded Petr Apcev for the first time this season but they were still outclassed by the in-form Athleta for whom Michael Naudi top-scored with 28 points.

Luxol only played at par for the first few minutes but then they gradually wilted under the Athleta pressure.

Ten consecutive points towards the middle of the first quarter allowed Athleta to open a 15-5 lead.

Luxol recovered and were just six points behind by the sixth minute of the second session 30-24 but Joe Galea inspired his men to a reaction and before the half-time break Athleta were comfortably ahead 41-27.

They continued where they had left off after the change of ends to open a 49-27 lead.

Luxol tired out and were slow in their recovery in defence allowing Athleta to run riot and almost reaching the century score by the end of the match.

Luxol: E. Bonello, M. Mercieca 7, R. Azzopardi 15, A. Micallef Trigona, P. Apcev 11, A. Cassar 3, N. Vasovic 6, T. Paris 2, A. Cremona 2, E. Caruana Montaldo, J.P. Bonnici 20.

Athleta: M. Naudi 28, J. Zammit, C. Galea, E. Bezzina 2, M. Giusti, D. Schembri 11, O. Said 17, C. Calleja 2, A. Bonnici 10, A. Ryan 3, S. Schembri 22.

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

Loyola Tata Motors 48
Depiro Mtarfa 70
(7-16, 17-20, 15-19, 9-15)

Depiro took revenge for their defeat to the same Loyola in the Detur Shield earlier this season to start their league commitments on a good note. Depiro were an improved side from that match, particularly their sharp shooters who took advantage of the spaces left by Loyola in their defence.

Loyola were a shadow of the team that had shown some good qualities in the pre-season competition. On Sunday, they never gave an impression of being able to pose a threat to their opponents.

After a rather quiet start, Depiro switched to ‘fast play’ mode and caught Loyola unawares in defence on several occasions. So much so, that they led 32-16 midway through the second session.

As Roderick Vella and David Debono tried to do it all alone for Depiro, Loyola were able to reduce the gap till half-time, 36-24.

The expected improvement in Loyola’s play after the interval never came though as Depiro again started to run the show, holding a 55-39 lead before the last quarter got underway.

Loyola were rather confused in their recovery attempts as Depiro administered their lead wisely to avoid any mishaps in their first outing of the league trek.

Loyola: S. Pace, B. Zammit 3, D. Camilleri 5, S. Borg, M. Cilia, S. Vella 2, A. Axiaq 7, G. Mihajlovic 10, J. Anastasi 6, J. Ransley 8, A. Tabone 7.

Depiro: R. Vella 17, J.P. Schembri, D. Bugeja 17, F. Agius, A. Aquilina 18, J. Gatt 5, J. Camilleri, E. Lupo 6, M. Mallia 7, I. Tanti, G. Mercieca.

Referees: G. Barbara, E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro.

Next fixtures
National league: Saturday, 15.45 Depiro vs Luxol. Sunday, 16.15 Athleta vs Siġġiewi.

Women’s League

The first round from the Women’s League came to an end last weekend with leading trio Hibs Medsea, Depiro McDonald’s and Luxol amply demonstrating that they are far better equipped than the rest of the field.

Fourth-placed Alyssa Ashley Loyola were never a threat to Luxol who led 35-15 at half-time.

After the change of ends, Luxol continued to dictate matters for a pronounced 56-35 win.

Champions Hibs opened a comfortable 48-10 lead at the half-way stage in their match against lowly Mtarfa, still without a win after seven matches.

With victory all but secured and the Hibs fringe players on court, Mtarfa came more into the picture but still lost heavily 79-31.

Depiro were also too strong for Athleta as they won 62-32. Before the latter could even settle down, Depiro had already built a 39-16 half-time lead. After that, there was no way back for Athleta.

Meanwhile, in the most balanced fixture of the weekend, St Andrews reserved their best for the most crucial stages of the match to chalk up their second victory of the season at the expense of Starlites.

There was little to separate both teams at half-time with Starlites leading 19-18. The Saints started pulling away at the start of the fourth quarter and held on to their lead, winning the match 50-41.

Standings: Hibs Medsea 13 (6-1), Depiro 13 (6-1), Luxol 13 (6-1), Loyola 11 (4-3), Athleta 10 (3-4), St Andrews 9 (2-5), Starlites 8 (1-6), Mtarfa 7 (0-7).

Top scorers: K. Agius (Depiro) 143, L. Bezzina (Hibs) 142, L. Sciberras (Athleta) 124, A. Borg (Depiro) 97, B. Zammit (Luxol) 78.

Next fixtures
Detur Shield: Friday, 18.15 Mtarfa vs Luxol, 19.45 Hibs vs St Andrews. Saturday, 14.00 Starlites vs Depiro. Sunday, 14.30 Athleta vs Loyola.