Hamrun Liberty Go Mobile 69
Fiat Luxol 64
(18-19, 15-9, 22-10, 14-26)

Hamrun will certainly celebrate in style this Christmas as last Saturday, during a match which was brought forward by one day without the media being informed, they beat none other than leaders Luxol who were unbeaten in their previous six matches.

Luxol had a bad patch after the interval as Hamrun's effective marking on pivots Ivan Attard and Silvio Cassar proved decisive. Only Robert Azzopardi was in fine shooting form for the leaders.

Luxol could not have had a better start as they raced into a 19-7 lead only for Hamrun to stage a comeback till the end of the session 19-18.

Hamrun then went on to open a 31-22 lead as Luxol managed to slightly cut back the deficit till lemon time - 33-28.

Hamrun had a flying start to the third session and with Luxol unable to conclude their attacking moves, Hamrun, through fast breaks, surged ahead 55-30.

In the meantime, Luxol lost Attard after a technical foul for dissent. However, his team surpassed this difficult moment and worked their way back into the game. Their recovery, however, was halted with less than 30 seconds left when they committed two technical fouls. Karl Borg sealed the issue for Hamrun from the free-throw line.

Hamrun: I. Riolo 6, D. Camilleri 12, A. Spiteri 9, S. Pace 16, K. Borg 13, J. Jetsen 2, P. Ferrante 11, A. Costa, A. Sultana, C. Sultana.

Luxol: D. Falzon 6, M. Mercieca 2, R. Azzopardi 28, W. Spiteri, R. Schembri, B. Micallef Trigona, R. Dalli 7, A. Bianchi, I. Attard 6, S. Cassar 15.

Pembroke Tumas Group. 79
Siggiewi 66
(21-14, 22-25, 18-13, 18-14)

Pembroke notched their fourth win in the league as playmaker Omar Said regained his shooting form to steer the side back to winning ways. Siggiewi failed to play as a team and their slack marking contributed to their downfall.

Siggiewi led in the opening minutes but by the end of the opening session Pembroke were already in the driving seat. Siggiewi had a good patch to level at 34-all but it was Pembroke who went in for the break leading 43-39.

The Reds were the better side after the restart as they extended their lead to 61-52. All-rounder Michael Naudi was fouled out midway through the last session but Pembroke were still strong enough to preserve their lead.

Pembroke: M. Naudi 12, J. Naudi 12, E. Bezzina 12, M. Spiteri, M. Borg, O. Said 26, J P Azzopardi, D. Cuschieri 7, T. Degiorgio, G. Cassar 10.

Siggiewi: D. Agius, M. Pisani 11, A. Calleja, A. Borg 8, N. Farrugia 21, A. Portelli, A. Micallef 17, R. Mifsud, S. Cauchi 2, J. Gatt 7.

Standings: Luxol 13; Pembroke 11; Hamrun 10; Siggiewi, Stingers 7 (Luxol and Pembroke played a game more).

Next fixtures: (Saturday, January 4) 5 p.m. Luxol vs Stingers. (Sunday, January 5) 4.15 p.m. Siggiewi vs Hamrun.

Women's League

In the main attraction of the weekend, Hibs Go Mobile had the better of Naxxar Danone. Now, together with Luxol Vodafone, they occupy second place in the table behind leaders Depiro Still who clinched their seventh victory after beating Hamrun Liberty Tivoli.

Naxxar surprised Hibs in the first round but this time Robert Pellicano's girls were out to avoid similar upsets as they raced to a 22-9 lead by the end of the first session. Trailing 30-17 at half-time, Naxxar tried to stage a recovery, getting close to within seven points (43-36) of their opponents. However, some quick baskets settled the issue for Hibs who won 47-38.

Luxol were never really stretched by Gozo and opened a comfortable 31-16 lead by half-time. With Gozo unable to stage a reaction Luxol went on to win 66-35.

Depiro kept their unbeaten record intact when facing Hamrun. After a slow start, they improved their game to take a commanding 30-14 lead at half-time. Depiro continued to dictate matters before romping home 51-32 winners.

Standings: Depiro 14; Hibs, Luxol 12; Naxxar 11; Hamrun 7; Gozo 6; Kerygma 5.

Next fixtures: (January 4) 3 p.m. Gozo vs Depiro Still (in Gozo), 3.15 p.m. Hamrun vs Kerygma. (January 5) 2.30 p.m. Hibs Go Mobile vs Luxol Vodafone.