The BOV Men’s League second round got underway last weekend with Hibs, who had beaten Floriana in a rescheduled first round match played on Thursday, being the team not in action in game day 8.

Starlites and Depiro produced an entertaining, high-scoring match ending in a Starlites win that lifted them to sole leadership, albeit with a game more.

Starlites’ Alec Felice Pace goes for the basket against Depiro. Photo: Wally GaleaStarlites’ Alec Felice Pace goes for the basket against Depiro. Photo: Wally Galea

Gżira Athleta beat Floriana to join the Greens in third spot with four wins while Luxol are now a game behind after registering their third league win after a success over Balkan Fusion.

Depiro 99
Starlites Gig 108

(32-21, 18-31, 28-26, 21-30)

More than 200 points were shared by these two teams after a highly-interesting and spectacular game which could have gone either way.

It was only in the final three minutes that Starlites managed to take the upper hand after a crucial nine-point run which was probably the main turning point in this game.

William Darley set off with three early treys for Starlites and with three other hoops from compatriot Jordan Stotts, the Naxxar side had a 15-8 lead after four minutes.

Depiro, who had Adam Chomo missing, hit back strongly with ten consecutive points shared between their trio of Americans Trent Steen, Jack Nygaard and Keshaun Hamilton.

The same players continued being precise in their respective strength areas, Hamiton using his strength under the boards, Steen versatile at mid range and Nygaard with his outside shooting, so that Depiro closed off the first quarter enjoying an 11-point lead, 32-21.

The game reopened very quickly when play restarted as Starlites had an 8-0 run with Stotts grabbing half the tally and Cam Ward and Robert Bonnici adding the other hoops.

Depiro managed to maintain the upperhand in the next five minutes for 45-40 but a series of Ward baskets and a brace of buckets from Alec Felice Pace helped Starlites go to the locker room at half time with a marginal 52-50 lead.

Play was again balanced and with points plentiful even in the third quarter. Starlites opened a momentary eight-point lead at 64-56 after treys from Stotts and Darley. Depiro hit back with Steen and Hamilton well in the limelight as well as two Said hoops.

Julian Naudi’s side also took a small lead after a Nygaard basket and further points from Steen and Hamilton but a buzzer-beating long distance shot from Drew Sears had the two sides at par, 78-78, with one quarter to go.

The two sides neutralised each other for the first part of the last quarter with Depiro 90-88 in front with five minutes to go.

Here, Starlites set off on an important 9-0 run to suddenly find themselves 97-90 ahead.

Nygaard and Hamilton, with a free throw each, stopped this run but Starlites notched the century mark off Darley’s fifth trey on the day.

Nygaard tried to put Depiro back in the game but the clock was running against them and Ward made it more difficult as he made it 8 from 8 free throws in the last minute to ascertain his side’s victory after a game which contained a good number of highlights like assists, dunks, fast play and athletic prowess.

Depiro: T. Steen 35, K. Hamilton 27, J. Attard, D. Farrugia, A. Aquilina, N. Grech, O. Said 13, M. Mallia, M. Borg, J. Nygaard 24, A. Attard

Starlites: A. Felice Pace 14, N. Formosa 8, R. Bonnici 2, I. Felice Pace, C. Ward 21, M. Falzon, M. Scerri, R. Carabott, W. Darley 26, A. Sears 13, J. Stotts 24.

Referees: T. Mantere, K. Dworniczak, I. Simic

Gżira Athleta 80
Floriana 66

(16-23, 23-12, 18-13, 23-18)

A ten-point stretch late in the third quarter was probably the determining moment in this match as Gżira Athleta turned around the score to open a double digit-lead early in the fourth quarter, a margin that Floriana, despite their late efforts, could not recover.

Both sides now have four wins from seven matches and are sharing the second spot in the standings together with Hibs, the latter however playing a game less.

A nine-point run, including a trey and basket from American Ian Thiesen as well as baskets from Gael Hulsen and Kurt Xuereb helped the Greens to open a 13-8 lead after five minutes.

Gżira replied with two long-distance shots from Nathan Xuereb and a Vincent Pace mid-range jumper. But Floriana, led by their guards David Bugeja and Hulsen, kept the upper edge at the end of the first quarter for a 23-16 scoreline.

This margin was present right up to midway in the second quarter but here Athleta produced an 11-0 run in three minutes with Americans Julio Guity and Pace getting half of the buckets.

A Peter Shoults trey, late in the first half, helped the Maroons to a 39-35 half-time advantage.

Floriana came out more focused in the early part of the second half when they managed to overturn the score with positive play under the opponent’s boards and in the offensive zone area.

Six minutes into the third quarter a Thiesen close-range hoop put the Greens 48-47 in the lead but from here till the quarter’s final buzzer Gżira Athleta netted ten points on the trot through Guity and Matthew Gouder.

When play restarted for the final quarter, respective treys from Pace and Gouder had Sasa Dimitrijevic’s side leading 63-50.

The pressure was now on Floriana to try and get back into the game and three consecutive baskets upped their morale momentarily.

Athleta, who had Kwame Thompson not in the side, came off a time-out with a 10-2 run, including and and-one play from Connell Crossland, so as to open a 15-point margin, 73-58, with three minutes on the clock.

The Greens did not throw in the towel and kept insisting but their efforts were neutralised at the other end with final Athleta hoops from Nikola Vasovic and Crossland.

Gżira Athleta: N. Vasovic 11, C. Crossland 7, P. Shoults 8, L. Stefanovic, A. Perunicic, N. Xuereb 9, M. Gouder 10, V. Pace 17, I. Mitrovic, J. Guity 18.

Floriana: S. Pace 3, D. Bugeja 13, D. Camilleri, S. Borg, K. Caruana, K. Liivamagi 6, I. Arias, I. Thiessen 25, K. Xuereb 7, G. Hulsen 12, D. Agius.

Referees: B. Vassallo, I. Simic, M. Hraisha.

Balkan Fusion 67
Bupa Luxol 128

(14-35, 24-30, 15-34, 14-29)

BUPA Luxol registered their third league win and a double over Balkan Fusion after an encounter which they dominated as from the first moments with Balkan doing their utmost to achieve also a good point tally offensively.

Six three-pointers in the opening quarter, three of them from Jean Paul Schembri and others from Keith Dimech, Vukasin Jandric and Jerrell Martin spearheaded Luxol towards a hefty 35-14 lead after ten minutes.

Nikola Bozovic, Balkan Fusion’s top point getter on the day, had a brace of treys in the opening quarter.

Luxol extended further their lead as Martin poured in a further three long- distance shots and C.J. Cordina helped himself to 12 personal points in the second quarter.

Although Balkan also achieved a good number of baskets, including three treys from Nemanja Despotovic, the half-time score was 65-38 for the St Andrews club.

The third quarter witnessed further superior play from Luxol as the latter outscored their opponents 34-15 in these 10 minutes of effective play having a series of points from William Ahlberg and Filip Sekulic to stop just one point short of the century mark at the end of the quarter at 99-53.

The tempo remained the same in the final rubber as Luxol had a 16-2 run midway in the session with Martin and Jandric continuing to pour in points whilst Bozovic was the most precise at the other end.

Youngsters Liam Caruana Montaldo and Philip Engelbert had some playing time in the final minutes of the game with the former also managing to notch a fast break hoop.

Balkan: N. Despotovic 19, N. Bozovic 26, T. Grech 5, P. Walk 8, A. Schembri 2, M. Gauci Montaldo 4, S. Todorovic, N. Komienic 3, N. Kovacevic

Luxol: CJ Cordina 12, V. Jandric 23, L. Caruana Montaldo 2, J. Martin 33, P. Engelbert, JP Schembri 11, K. Dimech 17, W. Ahlberg 18, F. Sekulic 10, S. Cappello 2

Referees: B. Vassallo, D. Torok and M. Hraisha.

Standings: Starlites (6-1) 13; Hibernians (5-1) 11; Gżira Athleta (4-3) 11; Floriana(4-3) 11; Depiro (2-5) 9; Balkan Fusion (0-7) 7.

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