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Gatorade Relegation Pool 1 Div. Men
Floriana 64 Depiro 53
(13-18)(14-9)(21-14)(16-12)
Floriana started off this relegation round in style, with their first win in four matches over Depiro this season. They overtook Qormi in the standings, and also brought Depiro back into contention as to who of the three teams will go down at the end of the season..Floriana are now a point benind Depiro and a point above Qormi, but with a match more.
Both teams took time to settle down, and more than two minutes had passed before David Agius made free shots for Depiro. At the other end Roderick Agius surprised everyone with two consecutive treys, and Depiro had their work cut out to tie the game, at 8-8. Bernardo Riolo promptly made another trey for Floriana, but Depiro finally clicked, and their burst of speed produced a good 10-0 run, with a Roderick Vella trey. It was only in the last seconds that Floriana snapped the run, with an Adrian Sultana hoop.
In the second session Depiro were on the receiving end. After their first hoop Floriana went wild, and a long 14-2 run. with a second Riolo trey, gave them the lead. Deoiro recovered sufficiently to end the quarter on an even note, as a David Agius hoop, in the last seconds, denied Floriana the lead at the interval. Score at 27-27.
After the break Depiro went back in front, but they started to commit errors again, and Floriana surged forward. Another strong 14-2 run, as Riolo made his third trey, gave the Greens a sound 43-34 advantage. Depiro recovered late in the session, through Antoine Costa, as his points, with another trey, brought them back within the distance. In the last seconds Karl Borg increased Floriana's lead with his trey, but Costa replied again for Depiro, with a last gasp trey. Floriana went into the last quarter on a 48-41 lead.
The Greens added another basket, but Depiro's three hoops made it a closer match. Floriana increased their lead once more, to a 56-48 score. Depiro tried for a late surge, going to four points in arrears, but Floriana held out for an important win, which leaves Qormi in dire straits, now that the losers are faced with no points, contrary to regular rules. It's going to be close at the end of this phase.
FLORIANA: R. Spiteri, 10 N. Falzon, J. Paris, 4 A. Sultana, 13 B. Riolo, 14 K. Borg, G. Gilson, 10 R. Mifsud, 4 G. Gauci Grech, 9 D. Ross
DEPIRO: 5 R. Vella, C. Cassar, 6 M. Sammut, 2 G. Muscat, 2 A. Aquilina, 12 A. Tabone, M. Mallia, 2 B. Zammit, 9 E. Lupo, 11 A. Costa, J. Ciappara, 4 D. Agius.
REFEREES: Bernard Vassallo, Emanuel Mangani, Alfred Carbonaro
Gatorade Championship Pool Men
Bupa Luxol 59 Dakar Sliema 61
(15-15)(16-12)(13-20)(15-14)
If this is a taste of the matches to come, then we are in for some nailbiting stuff. The two sides provided great entertainment, and it was apity that one of them had to finish on the losing side. Both teams had their moments, and the final result hinged on who will make the least errors. Free shots were a determining factor, as Luxol lost too many of them at the end, and paid the price.
The two teams obtained their first points, before Etienne Bezzina made the opening trey for Sliema, from a side shot. Luxol's reply brought them to a point down, at 6-7, but Sliema put in three hoops in a row. Luxol's reply were a number of free htrows, halted by an Adrian micallef hoop. At the end of the session it was aal-square, as Luxol tied with a late Chris Sammut basket.
In the second quarter Luxol's strong play continued, as treys by Steve Schembri and Sammut compiled a 12-4 run, for a 27-19 lead. Sliema came back slowly, through free shots and a second Bezzina trey, to tie the score, late in the quarter. Dirk Schembri's points put the Violets ahead again, and they kept their noses in front, till the half time buzzer, on a 31-27 score.
After the break Sliema recovered after a slow start. A 7-0 run gave them a lead, but Luxol made some good penetrations, for a 40-39 advantage. Sliema eked out another lead, through Kristin Baldacchino hoops, but Luxol were always just behind them. In the session's last moments Sliema held a 47-44 advantage, as Luxol failed their last attempts.
In the final quarter Sliema fell behind again, to a Sammut trey, but replied quickly, and the lead changed hands once more, on a 52-49 score. Luxol clawed their way bacvk, and a Steve Schembri trey put them ahead. It was a tie with less than two minutes to go, when Omar Said made an important steal, to put the Blues back in front. Sliema lost Michael Naudi and Silvio Cassar on fouls, but just held out as some free shots eluded Luxol, and the end of the match found them trailing to a single hoop.
The win gives Sliema some breathing space, in the path for a place in the final, but Luxol's task is still difficult, as it was before this game.
LUXOL: 16 C. Sammut, 9 M. Mercieca, R. Azzopardi, M. Micallef, 2 A. Bianchi, R. Dalli, 10 D. Schembri, 2 E. Caruana Montaldo, 2 J. Jetson, 18 S. Schembri
SLIEMA: 13 M. Naudi, J. Zammit, C. Calleja, 10 E. Bezzina, J. Galea, A. Southward, 9 O. Said, 4 A. Micallef, 8 K. Baldacchino, 16 S. Cassar, 1 J. Gatt
REFEREES: Bernard Vassallo, Stephen Micallef, Alfred Carbonaro

Peugeot Championship Pool Women
Loyola Xuereb Installations 48 Hibs Medsea 63
(10-13)(14-16)(3-18)(21-16)
The start of this phase practically ensured Hibs of one of the two places in the final, given the points that they had already taken in the previous round. They found stiff opposition in the first part of the match, but the third session, after the break, proved to be Loyola's downfall, as they went drastically behind, and the difference was prohibitive in the remaining time.
The champions had captain, Lucienne Bezzina, missing on court again, and it could be that she will miss the rest of this year's play.
Loyola went for tight marking from the start. They fell 2-5 behind, but as the session progressed, an Ann Camilleri trey gave them the lead. The Paolites recovered to post a n advantage till the end of the quarter, as Doreen Parnis led her team to a slight lead.
In the second session Hibs extended their lead with a trio of hoops, but Loyola rallied, and a Sammy Jo Barbara trey got them close. Bev Zammit's trey for the champions was neutralised by Barbara's second for Loyola. Parnis again had a good ending to the quarter, and at the interval Hibs were leading 29-24.
After the break the Paolites turned the game around in their favour. Loyola's efforts weren't ending in hoops, as Hibs opened the session with a 10-2 run. After suffering a further free shot the champions went on till the end of the quarter, with another 8-0 run, as Bev Zammit's points helped her side to a 47-27 lead, with a session to go.
Loyola were stung into action, to make up for their disappointing play the session before. Ann Camilleri sank a couple of treys, in a 10-3 run, but Zammit also made two treys for Hibs, as they recovered, to kill off any hopes that Loyola had of making a grand comeback. Camilleri made her fourth trey, late in the match, and young Jean Doughty put her name down for a further trey. Hibs were quite content with the result, as they strolled through, to their fourth seasonal win over their opponents.
LOYOLA: 15 Sandra Schembri Wismayer, 13 Ann Camilleri
HIBS: 24 Doreen Parnis, 17 Beverlee Zammit
REFEREES: Jean Paul Sammut, Anthony Micallef

Play Offs 2 Div. Men - Semi final 1
Mellieha SVS 65 SN Suns Bell Med 44
(20-12)(10-6)(14-9)(21-17)
Mellieha are now only a win away from a place in the final. As expected, they were too strong for a Suns side, who did not hold back, but they had to bow to a superior force, as the disciplined Mellieha team kept striding on. It was their fourth victory over Suns, this season.
Mellieha started in a matter of fact way, getting their points, but Suns had a reply at first. a Michel Curmi trey pushed Suns nearer, but Mellieha had good co-ordination, and opened up their advantage again, but with Suns still able to find their way to the basket.
In the second quarter the scoring fell away drastically. Mellieha were in command at the start, and they managed an 8-2 opening run, and new players went on court, for a 28-14 good lead. Suns crawled nearer in the remaining time, till the half time buzzer, but Mellieha still had control on the proceedings, ans halfway through the match they were 30-18 in front.
After the break points were still scarce, as Melleiha did not break much sweat to hold on to their lead. Midway through the session Michel Curmi sank his second trey for Suns. Mellieha didn't take long to increase their lead again, ans an 8-2 run, with a Julian Naudi trey, took them to the end of the quarter, with a 44-27 score, afterv three sessions.
In the final quarter Mellieha still had most of the play, and their lead began to grow once more. Michael Barberi put in a trey for Suns, but it only served to break up Mellieha's scoring sequence. In the latter stages of the match Suns capitalised on some slack marking to make an 8-0 run, only to be rudely stopped with a pay-back 11-0 run by Mellieha. Barberi made another trey before the end of the game.
MELLIEHA: 14 Julian Naudi, 12 Saviour Magro, 11 Michael Pisani
SUNS: 14 Hubert Agius, 13 Michel Curmi
REFEREES: Stephen Micallef, Anthony Micallef
Mosta 52 Loyola Xuereb Installations 56
(10-8)(12-14)(20-17)(10-17)
Mosta succumbed for the second time running, asainst Loyola, and the latter drew first blood in the race for a play off final place. It could have gone either way, but Loyola seemed to have the better staying power, and Mosta were short of ideas at the end. After four defeats Loyola have now beaten Mosta twice, and the latter must now pull up their socks if they want to progress to the final.
Steve Gouder was back from abroad for Mosta, and ray Muscat, who missed the first defeat by Loyola, was also back. Loyola were missing Patrick Lentini.
It was a low-scoring match at first. Loyola had a reply to Mosta's first hoops, and then went into a lead themselves. Mosta's reply was a Ray Muscat trey, in a 6-0 run, as they enjoyed a slim advantage at the end of the quarter.
Loyola tied the score on three occasions before they could grab the lead themselves. Mosta had to chase for some time, before Oliver Sammut put in a trey, and it was a tie, at 22-22. Till the end of the quarter there were no points for both sides, and so the parity remained till the interval, on a low level score.
After the break the two teams stayed close to each other, but the lead changed hands several times. Loyola began with a couple of hoops, but Sammut sank another trey for Mosta. Another Ray Muscat trey gave Mosta the lead, but at the other end it was Michel farrugia's trey for a 32-30 Loyola advantage. Personal points by Sammut, including a trey, turned the score around. Loyola did tie the score, but the rest of the quarter went Mosta's way, till Clint Grixti sank a trey in the last seconds. Mosta's lead went down to a 42-39 score, after three sessions.
The scoring fell down again in the last quarter, aspecially at Mosta's end. Loyola took the opportunities, and a 10-2 run put them in a favourable position, and their best lead yet, at 49-44. Mosta's reaction wasn't so influential, and Lyola could keep possession, and take their free shots when fouled. Mosta made a late surge, and it nearly bore fruit, but a late Joe Vella free throw closed down the match, and Loyola have a lead over Mosta in the three match series.
MOSTA: 12 Oliver Sammut, 12 Sascha Saakian
LOYOLA: 15 Graham Coleiro, 8 Sean Pace, 8 Jonathan Ransley
REFEREES: Emanuel Mangani, Jean Paul Sammut


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