Floriana Fran. Fenech 77
Athleta A-Z Elect. 70

(18-20, 21-18, 14-16, 24-16)

Though playing without the influential Bevan Scott Camilleri, Floriana still produced a fine performance to make it a double over Athleta who seem to have suffered badly from the absence of rebounder Addison Bonnici who is injured.

This was an advert to the National League as both sides gave their all in a thrilling match where the lead changed hands several times until those last few minutes where pivot Derek Schembri came to the fore to lead the Greens to victory and first place in the standings on head-to-head encounters.

The two contenders, who clash again in Sunday’s BOV KO final, played a tight first quarter before Athleta opened a 38-31 lead in the second session. But, Floriana came back to pot the last eight points before the interval for a 39-38 lead at the break.

Balance prevailed after the interval though Athleta did manage to regain the lead, 50-47. Then, six consecutive points saw Floriana 53-50 in front but it was Joe Galea’s team who started the last ten minutes 54-53 ahead.

Athleta potted the first four points of the last quarter and at that stage many were thinking that the Greens’ chances of an upset were now less possible.

But Floriana had other ideas and with Athleta suddenly losing their shooting touch, they embarked on a 13-2 run that eventually secured them a stunning victory and the top position in the standings.

Floriana: A. Baldacchino, D. Camilleri 9, M. Glass 27, C. Sammut 14, I. Mercieca 1, C. Calleja 2, D. Schembri 24, S. Saakian.

Athleta: S. Hagul, D. Bugeja 3, M. Todorovic 27, M. Giusti, O. Said 3, S. Pace 11, W. Spiteri, K. Baldacchino 7, S. Beschoff, S. Schembri 19.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, C. Terribile.

Siġġiewi 72
Loyola Tata Motors 55

(18-12, 17-14, 20-15, 17-14)

Dominique Mazzocchi potted 28 points but his contribution was not enough for Loyola to chalk up their second successive win in the league as Siġġiewi main-tained their play-offs hopes with a convincing win over the bottom-placed team.

This was a do-or-die affair for both teams but more was expected of Loyola after their surprise victory over Luxol the previous weekend.

However, they were brought down to earth by Siġġiewi who led from the jumpball and returned to victory after three consecutive defeats.

After a shaky first quarter, Loyola had a better start to the second term to come within a basket (20-18) of tying the scores. But, after a time-out, Siġġiewi clicked back into gear to change ends 35-26 in front.

Loyola were unable to lift their game and Siġġiewi increased their lead to 55-41 before dashing their opponents’ hopes as the last quarter got underway with a series of baskets that took the fight out of Loyola.

Siġġiewi: N Falzon 1, P. Shoults 13, E. Xuereb 4, A. Borg 14, C. Meier 15, A. Fekete 4, M. Matijevic 21.

Loyola: I. Buldakov, B. Zammit 4, A. Sarrio 5, C. Cassar 1, S. Borg, L. Azzopardi 8, S. Vella 2, A. Axiaq 2, J.P. Azzopardi 5, D. Mazzocchi 28.

Referees: E. Mangani, C. Terri-bile, S. Gouder.

BUPA Luxol 65
Pavi Depiro 69

(18-15, 19-14, 12-15, 16-25)

Luxol’s chances of a place in the top-three suffered a setback as Depiro, buoyed by the 30 points potted by Shawn Morgan, prevailed in a match no team afforded to lose.

Depiro, without pivot Emmanuel Lupo, had captain Roderick Vella and forward Andrew Aquilina playing below par as Luxol, who held the initiative for most of the match, saw their efforts thwarted by a series of blunders in the last few minutes.

Luxol led 37-29 at half-time and they looked good enough to adminster their lead until the finish but when Stephen Shackleford had to be sub-stituted midway through the third quarter, Depiro took their chances well to close the gap to five points, 49-44.

Shackleford was back on court in the last quarter but Depiro were now a more confident side.

Thanks to a perfect showing from the free-throw line and an Andrew Aquilina three-pointer, Depiro seized the advantage which they never relinquished as Luxol lost their plot in the crucial stages of this key match.

Luxol: C.J. Cordina, M. Mercieca 7, A. Micallef 9, J. Willoughby, S. Shackleford 23, J.P. Schembri 2, N. Vasovic 17, T. Paris, E. Bonello, A. Micallef Trigona, J.P. Bonnici 7, S. Capello.

Depiro: R. Vella 6, K. Kun, A. Aquilina 5, A. Portelli 7, D. Agius 2, M. Mallia, I. Tanti 19, S. Morgan 30.

Referees: E. Mangani, C. Terribile, S. Gouder.

Standings
Floriana 14 (6-2), Athleta A-Z 14 (6-2), Depiro 12 (4-4), Siġġiewi 12 (4-4), BUPA Luxol 11 (3-5), Loyola 9 (1-7).

Top scorers
S. Shackleford (Luxol) 253, S. Morgan (Depiro) 233, M. Todo-rovic (Atheta) 152, C. Meier (Siġġiewi) 140.

BOV KO final
Playing Sunday, 16.30 – Floriana vs Athleta.