Depiro 70
Siġġiewi Smina 72
(17-18, 22-19, 13-15, 18-20)

Siġġiewi Smina made sure of the third place and a slot in the Championship Pool after a hard-earned win over a depleted Depiro who nearly upset their opponents last weekend.

Siġġiewi again relied on fast play and the shooting form of some of their top players but they were static in defence. It was only when Depiro ran out of energy that Siġġiewi settled down even though they almost threw away victory in the last few minutes.

Siġġiewi had another slow start as Depiro were hitting the points from outside the zone.

After a time-out and the introduction of Peter Vulovic, Siġġiewi looked better and were able to overturn the result till the end of the quarter - 18-17.

Again it was Depiro who had the better start to the second session and through their best player, Andrew Aquilina, they led 33-25.

Siġġiewi hit back in the last four minutes and reduced the deficit to a single basket, 39-37, at half-time.

After Depiro took a six-point lead, 45-39, Peter Shoults helped Siġġiewi to start the last ten minutes level at 52-all.

Siġġiewi hit their best patch of the match at the start of the fourth session, taking advantage of a sudden slump in Depiro's form.

With three minutes to go, they held a significant 13-point lead, 72-59.

But, suddenly Depiro clicked into gear as Siġġiewi lost their plot and cohesion, resulting in the substitution of playmaker Shoults.

Depiro crept within shooting distance but with Shoults back on court, Siġġiewi held possession in the last few seconds to avoid extra-time.

Siġġiewi: J.P. Antoncich, M. Pajec, J. Doughty 2, E. Xuereb, I. Mercieca, P. Shoults 22, J.P. Bonnici 2, N. Vulovic 8, A. Micallef 25, J. Jetsen 13.

Depiro: R. Vella 14, A. Aquilina 28, D. Bugeja, E. Lupo 7, J. Gatt 1, M. Mallia, I. Tanti 18, D. Agius 2.

Referees: S. Micallef, E. Mangani, C. Terrible.

Compleet IS 75
Qormi 51
(23-11, 16-13, 18-14, 18-13)

Compleet IS were never troubled by a Qormi side whose coach, Alfred Mifsud, was forced to use the same five players for most of the match.

As usual, Compleet had a great start and turning the ball around fast they finished the first quarter 23-11 ahead.

Qormi reduced the gap to 30-21 midway through the second quarter but Compleet came back to change ends 39-24 ahead.

With Joe Galea giving his fringe players ample playing time, Qormi shared the exchanges till the final whistle to avoid conceding a heavy defeat.

Compleet: M. Naudi 15, J. Naudi 17, D. Camilleri 3, C. Sammut 3, J. Valdisere 4, O. Said 8, C. Calleja 2, K. Baldacchino 11, S. Cassar 12.

Qormi: G. Borg, J. Sant, D. Bugeja, J. Camilleri, D. Debattista, A. Tabone 10, K. Borg 12, A. Axiaq 16, M. Martill, A. Costa 11, G. Mercieca, C. Bugeja 2.

Referees: J.P. Sammut, A. Carbonaro, A. Micallef.

Standings: Compleet 9-1 (19), Luxol 19 (9-1), Siġġiewi 15 (5-5), Depiro 14 (3-8), Qormi 10 (0-10).

Top scorers: M. Matijevic (Luxol) 196, D. Schembri (Luxol)178, P. Shoults (Siġġiewi) 174.

Powerade League: (Friday) 19.45 BUPA Luxol vs Depiro. (Sunday) 16.15 Siġġiewi vs Compleet.