Luxol edge Siġġiewi in exciting finale as Fjeld boosts Floriana

BUPA Luxol 77
Siġġiewi 76
(15-21, 18-20, 14-18, 30-17)

Luxol and Siġġiewi provided a good advert for Maltese basketball after being involved in a thrilling match last weekend.

Luxol were behind for most of the game but snatched victory in the last seconds thanks to Jerom Bilen’s three-pointer.

Siġġiewi, who had Louis Camilleri making his return, obtained the first five points but Luxol hit back to level at seven-all.

By the end of the first quarter, Siġġiewi had moved six points ahead, 21-15, thanks mainly to their ability to turn the ball around efficiently. They remained the better side to change ends 41-33 ahead.

After stretching their lead to 16 points, 57-41, Siġġiewi looked to have victory in the bag but a series of careless mistakes marred their game. Luxol took advantage to close the gap to 12 points thanks to two three-pointers from Bilen.

With Siġġiewi losing their concentration, Luxol assumed command and gradually narrow the gap to 61-57 with three minutes left.

To complicate matters for Siġġiewi, they lost Peter Shoults to injury. With six seconds left, Alan Borg’s free-throws put Siġġiewi 76-74 in front.

Luxol coach John Tabone called a time-out and play restarted from Siġġiewi’s mid-court. The ball reached Bilen who, despite being closely marked, nailed a three-pointer with a second left to give Luxol a dramatic victory.

Luxol: C.J. Cordina 1, M. Mercieca 6, J. Bilen 40, A. Micallef Trigona 1, L. Ross 20, A. Costa, T. Paris, A. Attard Montalto, J.P. Bonnici 9, S. Capello.

Siġġiewi: R. Agius, K. Borg 3, L. Camilleri 4, P. Shoults 17, L. Grima, A. Borg 23, C. Meier 12, C. Kodomaris 3, J. Jetsen, M. Matjevic 14.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, S. Gouder.

Depiro Mtarfa 58
Athleta A-Z Electronics 70
(10-17, 13-20, 11-18, 24-15)

Athleta, with Serbian Marco Tornovic in the team, extended their positive run with a fine victory over Depiro.

More was expected of Depiro after their victory over Siġġiewi in their previous match.

Depiro’s tendency to go for rushed shots and individual play did little to boost their chances of beating the champions.

After the opening minutes, Athleta’s fluid moves in attack were proving too much for Depiro’s slow-moving defence. Joe Galea’s men were streets ahead of their opponents to lead 37-23 at half-time.

One expected Depiro to be more aggressive after the interval but it was the champions who profited from their opponents’ poor shooting. Midway through the third session, Athleta were 50-25 ahead.

The game was won and lost at this juncture. Depiro lifted their game in the fourth quarter but by then it was too late.

Depiro: R. Vella 8, J.P. Schembri, A. Aquilina 2, A. Portelli 2, A. Micallef 10, E. Lupo 2, M. Mallia, I. Tanti 4, G. Hamlin 30.

Athleta: M. Naudi 20, D. Bugeja, I. Baldakov, M. Tornovic 16, M. Giusti, A. Fekete 4, O. Said 12, D. Schembri 13, A. Bonnici 3, K. Baldacchino, S. Schembri 2.

Referees: G. Barbara, A. Carbonaro, C. Terribile.

Floriana Francesco Fenech 90
Loyola Tata Motors 69
(21-17, 25-19, 23-19, 21-14)

Floriana’s decision to change their foreigner, Evan Fjeld replacing Byran Williams, left the desired effect on Sunday. They beat Loyola with a handsome margin with Fjeld finishing as the game’s top-scorer besides being prominent with his contribution in defence.

Raschanti Harris, of Loyola, found strong resistance from Fjeld and it was a joy to see these two players jostle for rebounds underneath the board.

In a balanced first quarter, Floriana held a slight edge but as Fjeld came more into the picture, the Greens started to impose themselves to change ends 46-36 ahead.

Fjeld combined perfectly with the Sammut brothers as Floriana increased their lead to 17 points, 69-52.

Loyola were struggling to match Floriana’s pace and their troubles increased when they lost playmaker Shawn Pace for his fifth foul with six minutes left.

Floriana controlled Loyola’s frantic efforts to get back into the match as they gained their first league victory this season.

Floriana: C. Sammut 16, I. Mercieca 5, S. Sammut 19, C. Calleja 6, A. Baldacchino, E. Fjeld 44, A. Sultana.

Loyola: S. Pace 14, B. Zammit 5, D. Camilleri 6, S. Borg 2, L. Azzopardi, S. Vella, A. Axiaq 10, J. Ransley 2, R. Harris 30.

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

Standings: Athleta 4 (2-0); Luxol 4 (2-0); Depiro 3 (1-1); Floriana 3 (1-1); Siġġiewi 2 (0-2); Loyola 2 (0-2).

Top scorers: J. Bilen (Luxol) 76, R. Harris (Loyola) 75, G. Hamlin (Depiro) 49, L. Ross (Luxol) 44, M. Matjevic (Siġġiewi) 44.

Saturday: 15.30 Floriana vs Depiro.
Sunday: 14.45 Athleta vs Luxol; 16.30 Siġġiewi vs Loyola.