Depiro Mtarfa 78
BUPA Luxol  61
(19-20, 18-12, 14-14, 27-15)

Depiro Mtarfa got the victory they wanted to stay in contention for a place in the Championship Pool after downing BUPA Luxol.

This was a deserved victory for Depiro who outsmarted their opponents in the final crucial minutes of the match as Luxol continued to disappoint with Petar Apcev having another quiet game.

Luxol were the first team to settle down but Depiro came back in the closing minutes of the first quarter to reduce the gap to a single point 20-19. They continued to hold the upperhand, managing to open a 30-24 lead by the fifth minute.

Luxol stopped the rot but their efforts were not enought to put them in front as Depiro changed ends 37-32 to the good.

Depiro potted the first two baskets in the third quarter but Luxol reacted strongly (45-41) only for Depiro to reorganise their ranks with a time-out. They were 51-46 ahead before the fourth session got underway.

Those at the pavilion expected Luxol to up their game as the last ten minutes got underway but Depiro had other ideas. Faced with a static Luxol defence, they potted a series of three-pointers which paved the way to victory.

Depiro: R. Vella 19, J.P. Schembri 2, D. Bugeja 7, D. Aquilina 19, J. Camilleri, E. Lupo 8, M. Mallia 10, I. Tanti 13.

Luxol: J. Cordina, M. Mercieca 5, R. Azzopardi 9, A. Micallef Trigona 2, P. Apcev 8, A. Costa 4, N. Vasovic 14, T. Paris 4, A. Cremona 7, E. Caruana Montaldo, J.P. Bonnici 8.

Referees: E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro, C. Terribile.

Loyola Tata Motors 48
Athleta A to Z Electronics 80
(5-28, 18-11, 8-25, 17-16)

Athleta quickly forgot their upset to Siġġiewi in their previous outing and never allowed Loyola any extra space where to manoeuvre after an excellent first-quarter showing.

Loyola felt the absence of their shooter David Camilleri and before they could find their rhythm they were already 15 points behind.

Athleta applied the pressing game to perfection from the jump-ball and with shooter Omar Said in great form, they opened a comfortable 28-5 lead.

However, they reduced the tempo after that, allowing Loyola to get some more points as the latter closed the gap to 39-23 at half-time.

Any hopes Loyola had of re-opening the match were dashed as the third session got underway. Athleta’s dominance was evident as they increased their lead to 64-31.

With most of their substitutes on court, Athleta then elected to administer their lead, something they achieved without great problems.

Loyola: S. Pace, B. Zammit 15, D. Grech, S. Borg 2, G. Camilleri 1, M. Cilia, S. Vella, A. Axiaq 6, G. Mihalovic 10, J. Anastasi 8, J. Ransley 2, A. Tabone 4.

Athleta: M. Naudi 10, J. Zammit 6, C. Galea, D. Schembri 15, O. Said 28, A. Bonnici 9, K. Baldacchino 3, A. Ryan, S. Schembri 9.

Referees: B. Vassallo, G. Barbara, E. Mangani.

Standings: Athleta 21 (10-1), Siġġiewi 15 (6-3), Luxol 14 (4-6), Depiro 12 (3-6), Loyola 10 (1-8).

Top scorers: M. Naudi (Athleta) 230, P. Apcev (Luxol) 186, O. Said (Athleta) 168.