Luxol level on points in top spot as Depiro stay close
The race for top seed in this season’s MAPFRE MSV Life Women’s League is now wide open after Hibernians fell to Starlites Revive on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Caffe Moak Luxol kept up the pace to go level on points at the top after beating Athleta. Betsson Depiro crushed Valletta Dream in Sunday’s game to stay within two points of the leaders.
HIBERNIANS 58
STARLITES REVIVE 70
(13-14, 14-21, 20-11, 11-24)
Starlites pulled away in the closing minutes to defeat Hibernians on Saturday to put the Paolites’ top spot in jeopardy.
Hibernians’ Hailey Macleod led the game’s scoring with 25 points, but the return of Makaila Napoleon to Starlites gave the Naxxar side the motivation to strike. Napoleon marked her second stint with the team with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Mikela Riolo added another 16.
Hibs opened with intent as Steffi De Martino drilled a three-pointer, yet the early rhythm soon shifted. Riolo ignited Starlites with a sharp eight-point surge, first converting a layup from a turnover before knocking down consecutive triples.
De Martino and Josephine Diaby steadied Hibs to level the score, but former Paolite Julija Dabic, Michela Zammit Cordina and Napoleon combined to restore Starlites’ control.
McLeod hit five straight points late on to cut the gap as Starlites held a narrow 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Riolo reopened the gap early in the next period with another three-ball, while Georgia Haverlock and Jasmine Abela struck from range to stretch the margin.
McLeod and De Martino kept Hibs within reach with steady scoring, but Napoleon’s three-ball gave Starlites a 10-point cushion with less than two minutes to go in the first half.
Macleod hit back with two consecutive scores before a Ylenia Ferrando effort saw the margin become eight points at the end of the half.
Hibernians surged back after the change of ends, with McLeod leading the charge as Starlites settled for most of their points coming from free throws. Philippa Riolo did, however, hit twice from inside the paint before Mikela Riolo hit again from deep.
Despite this, Sasha Lecuyer freethrows took away Starlites’ lead and gave Hibs a one-point advantage ahead of the final rubber.
Even as if it looked like Hibernians were about to turn on their turbo, Starlites managed to contain them with a strong closing 10 minutes.
Napoleon took centre stage after a triple from Abela and a layup from Rebecca Naudi. Riolo duo Philippa and Mikela combined to lift Starlites to 12 points before Napoleon hit the winning basket as the Naxxar side stunned the Paolites.
HIBERNIANS M. Buhagiar 2, L. Micallef 6, I. Agius, S. Lecuyer 5, M. Bonett 1, S. De Martino 9, H. Macleod 25, J. Diaby 10.
STARLITES REVIVE Y. Ferrando 2, M. Riolo 16, P. Riolo 11, M. Zammit Cordina 6, R. Naudi 3, G. Haverlock 5, M. Napoleon 16, J. Abela 9, J. Dabic 2.
Referees F. Ciurariu, L. Silvero.
CAFFE MOAK LUXOL 84
ATHLETA 58
(26-19, 18-10, 27-16, 13-13)
Luxol produced a dominant display to defeat Athleta and safeguard their third spot ahead of Starltes.
Olivia Wikstrom delivered the standout performance, leading Luxol’s offence with 37 points, as well as her defence with 15 rebounds.
Athleta’s Macy Tyler Smith came closest to that as the import player put up 34 points and 12 rebounds.
Luxol made the brighter start as Sarah Sciberras finished a layup to open proceedings, yet Kaya Calleja was at the ready to reply with a three-pointer.
This lasted just seconds before Wikstrom struck from beyond the arc to settle the three-point tally. Wikstrom added a layup and two free throws before another triple as Luxol began to build rhythm.
Lisa Fenech Pace gave the Violets their first double-digit lead of the game.
Calleja and Tyler Smith answered with a late surge that included a three-point play and free throws to trim the gap to 26-19 at the end of the first quarter.
Luxol regained control early in the next spell. Fenech Pace scored inside before Wikstrom struck again from distance and added another close-range basket. Jada Said finished on the break and Eve Axisa drilled a three-ball as the Violets pushed further ahead.
Tyler Smith was her side’s leading contributor throughout the quarter, with Nicole Vella being the only other scorer for the Gzira side until halftime as the gap grew to 15 points.
The third quarter proved decisive. Wikstrom erupted with a scoring burst in between buckets from Sarah Fenech Pace and Vanya Baldacchino.
Despite a Vella triple and further scores from Tyler Smith for Athleta, Luxol’s run stretched the lead to 71-45 heading into the final quarter.
It was a tough ten final minutes for Athleta but the side showed renewed urgency at the start with Tyler Smith attacking the basket and Calleja converting from deep.
However, Luxol tamed this early fire with scores from Wikstrom and Sarah Fenech Paceto, close out a comfortable victory.
CAFFE MOAK LUXOL K. Magro, E. Axisa 9, L. Fenech Pace 15, H. Galea, R. Fenech Pace 4, A. Xuereb, J. Said 4, E. Abela 1, S. Fenech Pace 5, O. Wikstrom 37, V. Baldacchino 6, S. Sciberras 3.
ATHLETA E. Farrugia, J. Schembri, N. Vella 11, K. Calleja 11, K. Caruana, M. Tyler Smith 34, K. Abela 2, L. Camilleri, A. Pisani.
Referees L. Silvero, W. Lim.
BETSSON DEPIRO 126
VALLETTA DREAM 21
(29-5, 31-8, 36-6, 30-2)
Depiro produced a relentless display to defeat Valletta, a result that reflected the vast gap between the title challengers and a Valletta side forced to play the entire game with just five players.
Lovely Sonnier and Claire Privitera led the game’s scoring with 25 points apiece on Sunday, the former grabbing 12 rebounds for a double-double.
Julia Borg followed with 19 points, as Julia Borg Xerri added 17 and 10 rebounds. At the other end, despite the heavy loss, Alexia Parnis managed double digits with 13 points.
The contest quickly became one-sided as Depiro pushed the pace from the opening minutes, while holding their opponents to single digits.
Julia Borg opened proceedings before Maria Mifsud responded for Valletta.
However, after Sonnier’s triple and scores from Hannah Farag and another from Borg, the floodgates opened and Depiro took a 24-point lead at the first buzzer.
The second quarter was a similar affair, where despite a Parnis triple and another score from Mifsud, it was all Depiro who constantly raced into the paint for quick scores that pushed the lead up to 47 by half-time at 60-13.
By the third quarter, it was already a no-contest but Depiro continued to kill off their opponents through a barrage from Sonnier, who did not let her foot off the gas for one second.
Once again, it was scores from Mifsud and Parnis that halted Depiro’s 15-0 run, but the Mtarfa side were up by 77 points anyway ahead of the final rubber.
It was game over by the fourth quarter and yet, Depiro kept pushing the margin up, overcoming the 100-point mark with the exhausted Valletta side conceding defeat at the final buzzer.
BETSSON DEPIRO Y. Mangion 7, J. Borg Xerri 17, J. Mallia 2, C. Privitera 25, C. Fenech 4, J. Borg 19, C. Portelli 4, L. Sonnier 25, S. Deguara 13, H. Farag 10.
VALLETTA DREAM M. Trapani, A. Parnis 13, A. Cutajar 2, H. Grixti, M. Mifsud 6.
STANDINGS
Hibernians, Caffe Moak Luxol 22; Betsson Depiro 20; Starlites Revive 18; Valletta Dream, Athleta 13.
