Hibernians 71
Cynergi Depiro 66

(13-20, 18-28, 22-10, 18-8)

Hibs broke their duck in the league after chalking up their first win following a remarkable second-half comeback against Depiro.

The Rabat side looked poised for victory after distancing themselves with DJ Mason and David Bugeja netting hoops consistently.

Hibs, who lost to Depiro in overtime in the first round, came flooding back into the game with a positive patch midway through the third quarter as they moved from 42-55 behind to 61-58 ahead with Adrian Micallef, Alvaro Lizaur and Marko Matijevic accurate in their attempts.

Depiro forged again ahead momentarily after a Robert Bonnici trey but Hibs, despite having a total drought from the three-point line, made sure of this win with six consecutive points from Micallef.

Hibs, who have a match in hand, are still with an outside chance for a place in the play-offs.

Hibs: P. Attard, E. Xuereb, L. Farrugia 2, S. Attard  3, A. Micallef 14, M. Matijevic 25, S. Vella, F. Mariani 2, A. Lizaur 25.

Depiro: S. Sammut 7, D. Bugeja 14, R. Bonnici 9, A. Aquilina 5,  DJ Mason 18, T. Zammit 5, M. Mallia, K. Xuereb 8, M. Borg, D. Scafidi.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, C. Farrugia

Shooting: FT – H: 13/25, D: 10/18. 2Pt – H: 29/55, D: 19/50. 3Pt – H: 0/9, D: 6/20.

Starlites Naxxar 64
BUPA Luxol 108

(13-29, 22-20, 15-26, 14-33)

This was another century score and win for Luxol to join Depiro at the top of the standings.

The young Starlites side could not contain Luxol’s height advantage under the boards with towering Samuel Deguara netting a hefty 47 points and also contributing to his team’s supremacy in rebounds.

This game was played in the secondary pavilion as the main court’s surface was deemed too slippery due to adverse atmospheric conditions.

Starlites, who had centre Stankovic committing four fouls by the 16th minute, resorted to mid- and long-range shots to try and curb the damage. A few treys from Ivan Mitrovic and Ryan Carabott did put them close to 49-37 behind.

Yet, three successive 3s soon asserted Luxol’s dominance and with Starlites opting to start hurrying up, the margin between the two teams got wider and wider.

Starlites: I. Mitrovic 22, R. Carabott 10, L. Vella, A. Schembri 3, M. Azzopardi, M. Falzon 4, I. Felice Pace 3, N. Stankovic 14, M. Falzon, A. Felice Pace, N. Stankovic, J. Formosa 8, M. Vella, O. Psaila.

Luxol: C.J. Cordina 3, M. Mercieca 4, D. Meli, J. Maistre Melillo, JP Schembri 6, K. Dimech 7, W. Ahlberg 18, P. Cumpstone 21, S. Deguara 47,  S. Cappello 2.

Referees: B. Vassallo, S. Micallef, I. Marjanovic.

Shooting: FT – SN: 8/12, BL: 12/17. 2Pt – SN: 19/44, BL: 36/59. 3Pt – SN: 6/33, BL: 8/24.

Gżira Athleta 70
Floriana MCP Car Parks 59

(23-11, 10-27, 17-8, 20-13)

Athleta, fresh from their Louis Borg Cup success over Floriana, recorded their fourth league win in a match of different facets.

In fact, Athleta zipped to a considerable lead early on, 19-2, and Floriana had to opt for an early time-out to limit the damage. They did settle down and soon cut the deficit to 12 points, 23-11.

Floriana started winning the boards to open strongly in the second quarter as they had a 16-4 run to level the match at 27-27.

Although Josiah Whitehead did help Athleta to regain the lead, Floriana closed the half in compelling fashion and a nine-point run which could have been bigger had they not missed some free-throws.

The third quarter was a low-scoring affair. Floriana held on to their lead for seven minutes – 44-41 – before Athleta regained their touch for a 19-4 run and a 62-48 advantage.

Time was to Athleta’s benefit and they then controlled the tempo in the concluding minutes.

Athleta: M. Naudi 9, R. Vella 18, D. Camilleri 3, P. Shoults 9, F. Mifsud Bonnici, B. Zammit 2, S. Vincic 2, M. Gauci Montaldo, J. Whitehead 27.

Floriana: C. Patus 10, S. Pace 2, S. Borg 4, N. Vasovic 18, C. Calleja 4, A. Axiaq 16, A. Micallef Trigona, N. Andrejevic 5.

Referees: B. Vassallo, E. Mangani, C. Farrugia

Shooting: FT – GA: 9/12, F: 7/13. 2Pt – GA: 26/44, F: 23/52. 3Pt – GA: 3/18, F: 2/16.

Standings
Cynergi Depiro (5-2) 12; BUPA Luxol (5-2) 12; Gżira Athleta (4-3) 11; Floriana MCP (3-3) 9; Starlites (2-5) 9; Hibernians (1-5) 7.