Depiro beat Hibs in their last match from the opening phase of the women’s league but thanks to their hard-earned win over Honey Athleta, it will be Luxol who will claim the top spot.

Luxol were coming from a shock upset in the Louis Borg Cup final after throwing away a 16-point first-leg lead against Depiro.

Last weekend, they struggled to beat a spirited Athleta who needed a win at all costs to maintain their slim chances of a play-off berth.

Athleta won the first quarter 19-18 but midway through the second session, Luxol had a good patch which saw them going on to change ends 35-26 ahead.

Luxol rested some of their top-notch players after the interval and that allowed Athleta to show their battling qualities and start the last ten minutes six points in front 49-43.

However, after extending their lead to seven points (69-62), Athleta suffered a slump as Luxol, with Sara Pace and Dianne Muscat leading the rally, hit back strongly. They recovered possession after an erratic Athleta pass to pot the decisive points in a 71-69 win.

Depiro’s third-quarter performance was enough for them to have the better of Hibs.

It was a balanced match in the opening two quarters where Depiro led 23-17. Then, after the break, Depiro potted nine consecutive points which they never relin-quished before sealing a 44-33 win.

Starlites chalked up their first win in a basement clash against Qormi who had Brietta Thomas missing.

After the opening two quarters, Starlites were 32-13 in front but Qormi had a good reaction after the interval to reduce the gap to 34-24.

Starlites regrouped to regain the initiative and control their op-ponents’ efforts without difficulty for a 65-38 win.

Standings: Depiro 22 (10-2), Luxol 21 (10-1), Loyola 17 (7-3), Hibs 17 (6-5), Athleta 13 (3-7), Starlites 12 (1-10), Qormi 12 (1-10).