Caffe Moak Luxol and Betsson Depiro kept up their deadlock in second place in the standings last weekend with important wins against Starlites Revive and Athleta, respectively.
At the top, Hibernians cruised past Valletta Dream.
STARLITES REVIVE 54
CAFFE MOAK LUXOL 56
(19-14, 11-16, 9-15, 15-11)
Luxol edged Starlites in a tense contest that swung deep into the final seconds.
Statistically, Olivia Wikstrom’s 20 points proved decisive, with her 10 rebounds coming to her side’s defence.
With one more rebound and 13 points, Sarah Fenech Pace was the Violets’ second player with a double-double on the day.
Meanwhile, Georgia Haverlock continued to show up for Starlites, putting up 21 points on Sunday as Philippa Riolo followed with 13, both players a rebound short of double digits.
Riolo set the tone early with two strong close-range efforts, but Wikstrom responded at the line before striking from deep with a three-pointer to give Luxol control. Haverlock kept Starlites close, and Rebecca Naudi shifted the lead to Starlites with a truple before Riolo and Haverlock made it a five-point game at the first buzzer.
The second quarter was a tight encounter. Fenech Pace and Wikstrom continued to attack the rim as Lisa Fenech Pace and Gwen Carabott pushed Luxol in front. However, Riolo and Naudi responded to tie matters at 30-30 by the break.
After the change of ends, Lisa Fenech Pace capitalised on a turnover to reopen a gap and despite a Haverlock three-ball, Luxol began to push further through Wikstrom, before a Jada Said layup gave them a six-point cushion ahead of the final rubber.
The final quarter carried intensity as Starlites attempted to claw their way back in.
A 9-0 run brought the game to parity and the two sides battled to break the deadlock.
But with just two seconds left, Sarah Sciberras shot the winner from the line as Luxol took a tight victory.
STARLITES REVIVE M. Riolo 4, P. Riolo 13, M. Zammit Cordina 5, M. Fenech, R. Naudi 7, G. Haverlock 21, J. Abela 2, J. Dabic 2.
CAFFE MOAK LUXOL G. Carabott 2, E. Axisa 1, L. Fenech Pace 14, R. Fenech Pace, J. Said 2, E. Abela, S. Fenech Pace 13, O. Wikstrom 20, V. Baldacchino 3, S. Sciberras 1.
Referees F. Ciurariu, W. Lim.
VALLETTA DREAM 46
HIBERNIANS 117
(12-25, 10-25, 12-36, 12-31)
Hibernians turned Valletta’s afternoon into a nightmare with a tough drubbing on Saturday.
Besides the depth mismatch between the two rosters on the day, it was a stunning double-double performance by Josephine Diaby that helped Hibs brush the Capital Club aside. Diaby finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Maria Bonett, who also put up 19 points.
Steffi De Martino added another game to her double-digit assists streak with 10, along with 15 points, while Hailey McLeod and Sasha Lecuyer both added 13 points.
Kirstie Sammut rounded up the Hibs double-digit scorers with 12.
At the other end, Alexia Parnis was Valletta’s offensive threat with 22 points, followed by Marie Elise Pollacco, who added 14.
The Paolites struck first through Diaby but Pollacco answered with a confident three-pointer to nudge her side ahead.
De Martino soon swung momentum back with a long-ranger of her own, as Naomi Farrugia and Diaby gave Hibs a six-point cushion.
The Citizens levelled proceedings with three consecutive baskets.
But, it was all Hibernians from then on, until a Parnis triple as the margin was double-digits, eventually 13 by the end of the first quarter.
The second rubber showed Hibs’ versatility, with players hitting from all angles to elevate their advantage to 28 before Valletta stopped the run with four points from Maria Trapani and Parnis.
Pollacco put up another four points, but shots from McLeod and Diaby made sure of a 28-point lead at half-time.
After the break, Michela Marmara opened with a triple, and the avalanche continued.
Diaby hit from both close and far while Bonett and Marie Buhagiar supported the offence to widen the gap to 43 points. Parnis and Pollacco did manage to hit back, but the Paolites kept pushing with De Martino’s three-ball, making it 86-34 ahead of the final rubber.
The final quarter became a formality, but this did not stop Hibs from adding more woe to Valletta’s afternoon.
Bonett and Buhagiar continued to score with ease, with Lecuyer hitting five straight points in between and despite sporadic scores from the Valletta players, the deficit continued to grow as Hibs maintained their intensity to the final buzzer.
VALLETTA DREAM A. Parnis 22, M. E. Pollaco 14, M. Trapani 4, M. Momcilovic, M. Mifsud 6.
HIBERNIANS M. Buhagiar 12, E. Jovanovic 2, I. Agius 5, S. Lecuyer 13, M. Bonett 19, S. De Martino 15, M. Marmara 3, N. Farrugia 4, H. Macleod 13, J. Diaby 19, K. Sammut 12.
Referees L. Silvero, A. Attard.
ATHLETA 65
BETSSON DEPIRO 81
(20-24, 8-17, 23-21, 14-19)
A dominant second quarter gave Depiro the platform to take over their matchup with Athleta as they maintained their fight with Luxol in second place in the league.
Julia Borg and Lovely Sonnier led Depiro with 20 points each, the latter putting up 15 rebounds for a double-double. At the other end, Macy Tyler Smith was Athleta’s focal point, finishing the game with 29 points to lead the game’s scoring and 12 rebounds.
The opening exchanges showed a close contest. Sonnier and Neve Borg put Depiro ahead from the line before Nicole Vella and Tyler Smith responded inside.
Tyler Smith quickly found her rhythm, finishing in transition and converting a three-point play to give Athleta a brief cushion.
Borg struck twice from beyond the arc, while Claire Privitera and Nicole Agius capitalised on turnovers to swing momentum. Vella kept Athleta close at the line, yet Borg’s third three-ball and a late score from Claire Portelli saw Depiro finish the first quarter up 24-20.
Depiro’s control strengthened in the second rubber.
Agius opened with a three-pointer as Sonnier added a mid-range jumpshot to make it a nine-point lead for the Mtarfa side. Athleta’s shooting was lacking throughout the quarter and it was only thanks to free throws that the Gzira side managed eight points until the half-time break.
Meanwhile, Depiro piled on the points to finish the first half 13 points ahead.
This provided the impetus for Depiro to push further in the second half. After the break, Julia Borg Xerri and Sonnier drove the tempo, pushing the lead up to 21 points. Kaya Calleja and Tyler Smith sparked a response with a three-pointer apiece, yet Privitera’s composed finishing steadied Depiro, who led 62–51 heading into the final quarter.
The final quarter showed Athleta’s fire, and when Calleja’s triple cut the gap to four, it looked like anybody’s game.
However, fatigue began to set in, and Depiro’s stamina took over. Despite another Calleja effort, Privitera, Neve Borg, and Borg Xerri were on hand to bring the game to a comfortable cushion and secure the win.
ATHLETA E. Farrugia, B. Agius, N. Vella 10, K. Calleja 12, K. Caruana 8, M. T. Smith 29, S. Vella 4, L. Camilleri 2, A. Pisani.
BETSSON DEPIRO Y. Mangion, N. Agius 5, J. Borg Xerri 12, J. Mallia, C. Privitera 14, C. Fenech, J. Borg 20, C. Portelli 5, N. Borg 3, L. Sonnier 20, S. Deguara 2, H. Farag.
Referees Z. Dobrosaviljevic, W. Lim.
STANDINGS
Hibernians 21; Betsson Depiro, Caffe Moak Luxol 20; Starlites Revive 16; Valletta Dream, Athleta 12.
