BUPA Luxol 76
Falken Cynergi Virtus 78

(19-31, 14-10, 19-24, 24-13)

Virtus again met strong resistance from a determined Luxol who had top-scorer Colt Fason posing all kinds of problems to Paul Ferrante’s team and they nearly forced extra-time.

Jacob Formosa and Chris Santo were rather subdued in their play. In the end, Virtus had playmaker Shaun Pace to thank for their hard-earned victory.

The champions opened a 16-9 lead and with baskets flowing at both ends, Virtus extended their advantage to 31-19 before Luxol hit back to close the gap to 41-33 at half-time.

Virtus held the initiative after the interval but each time they tried to impose their superiority Luxol reacted in time to stay within striking distance.

Ferrante effected a few substitutions and his tactics helped Virtus to hold the upperhand and lead 65-52 before the last ten minutes got underway.

But Luxol were not giving up lightly and with Virtus losing their range in the zone, they started to come more into the picture.

Two late three-pointers pushed Luxol just a basket behind but Pace came to Virtus’s rescue with a timely pot to preserve his team’s slender lead for their second win in the league.

Luxol: J.C. Cordina 7, C. Fason 32, J. Willoughby 2, S. Vasser, J.P. Schembri 12, K. Dimech, T. Paris 11, M. Mercieca 12, J. Maistre Mellilo.

Virtus: S. Pace 14, D. Bugeja 5, R. Bonnici 12, D. Camilleri 2, S. Bonnici, J. Formosa 10, A. Felice Pace, C. Santo 12, A. Schembri, F. Bartolo, P. Shoults 7, T. Grech 16.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, Z. Dobroseljevic.

Hibernians 58
PAVI Depiro 50

(17-12, 11-6, 15-13, 15-19)

Hibernians took revenge for their upset in the KO competition to Depiro to chalk up their first win in the championship. The loss left Depiro bottom of the standings.

Depiro, who had some key players missing, led by a few points in the opening minutes but Hibs soon clicked into gear and at half-time they led 28-18.

After the interval Depiro showed some improvement in their play but after closing the gap to six points, 33-39, they succumbed to Hibs’ pressure and the Paolites started the last ten minutes 43-31 ahead.

Hibs were playing confidently and easily controlled Depiro’s efforts to save the match. It was only late on that Depiro managed to reduce the gap to make the scoreline more respectable.

Hibs: P. Attard, M. Hampton, C. Agius, L. Farrugia 9, S. Attard 11, I. Bonett, K. Caruana, R. Carabott 1, K. Sultana, S. Vella 4, F. Mariani 12, M. Matijevic 21.

Depiro: J. Attard, D. Schembri 11, A. Aquilina 11, N. Grech 4, M. Mallia 7, V. Vlachos, K. Xuereb 2, M. Borg, M. Neuleu 15.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, Z. Dobroseljevic.

Gżira Athleta 72
Floriana Cafe Del Mar 80

(10-15, 18-15, 23-22, 21-28)

Athleta lost their plot in the last quarter paving the way for Floriana to pot crucial points and register their second victory.

The Greens had former Athleta star Chad Patus playing a key role on court along with Lee Ross. Between them these two players potted 50 points.

Athleta had Dutchman Dan Wiersum in the side but it was captain Michael Naudi who played a blinder to keep his team in contention until he tired out late on.

The first quarter was evenly shared but when the match resumed Athleta started to show the better ideas. They lost playmaker Roderick Vella through injury but continued to press on.

A time-out and substitutions helped Floriana recover and share the exchanges. At half-time there was little to separate both sides with the Greens leading 30-28.

Floriana obtained the first five points of the third quarter but they were unable to shrug off Athleta’s resistance who stayed in contention, only a single point behind – 52-51.

The match was tense but Floriana again embarked on an auspicious take-off to the last quarter.

This time they opened a seven-point lead which they administered wisely as Athleta’s frantic efforts to avoid defeat proved futile in the end.

Athleta: M. Naudi 26, R. Vella 2, F. Mifsud Bonnici, D. Wiersum 14, L. Stefanovic, I. Buldakov, B. Zammit 13, A. Micallef 8, N. Lubrano 9, S. Vincic, I. Wait, M. Gauci Montanaro.

Floriana: C. Patus 26, N. Sultana 4, L. Ross 24, S. Borg, A. Portelli 1, A. Vasovic 12, C. Calleja 2, A. Axiaq 9, A. Micallef  Trigona 2, N. An-drejevic.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro.

League standings
Virtus 4 (2-0), Floriana 4 (2-0), Gżira Athleta 3 (1-1), Hibs 3 (1-1), Luxol 2 (0-2), Depiro 2 (0-2).

Next fixtures

Louis Borg Cup (men): Sunday – first legs – 9.30am Hibs vs Gzira; 1pm Depiro vs Luxol, 4.30pm Floriana vs Mellieħa.

Louis Borg Cup (women): Sunday – first legs – 11.15am PAVI Depiro vs Caffe Moak Luxol; 2.45pm Starlites vs Floriana.