It seems to be all over , bar the shouting, as St. James’ aspirations are well on course, when they brushed aside Starlites, and kept a stranglehold over the standings. Starlites’ best wasn’t enough to hold the Saints, as the latter produced the goods, and made sure of the outcome well before the final buzzer.

Starlites had Duncan Cuschieri missing, along with Bernardo Riolo, Paul Caruana Turner and David Sultana from their last match.

It was Starlites who drew first bllod, putting in a couple of hoops, as the Saints made a slow start. When they began to assert their control, St. James tallied a 9-2 run, with a Gianluca Cuschieri trey and Steve Gouder hoops. This was stopped by Ivan Riolo, who netted two treys for Starlites, pushing his side in front. In the second period St. james went into their stride, and Starlites were on the receiving end. An opening 10-1 run, with a Billy Zammit trey, was quickly followed by two more treys, by Zammit. Starlites’ Tino Riolo suffered a facial injury, which was treated by the opposing Saints’ coach, Paul Sultana, who ceded his duties to his assistant coach, Norbert Borg, for a good part of the session. St. James made another 10-2 run late in the period, with a Stefan Vella trey, as they cantered to a 36-21 lead at the interval.

After the break there was no let off for Starlites, with the Saints still smelling blood. An 8-2 run started them off, although they were stopped by Saviour Bonnici’s hoops. It was Jonathan Ransley who led the Saints to an 11-2 run, which went on till the end of the quarter, and a 57-29 advantage, which would guarantee them an imminent win. In the final session Jonathan Zammit made his mark for the Saints, as he drove in a trio of treys, together with another from Vella, in a 12-0 run. Starlites put in their share, with Mark Pace also sinking a trey, as they manages an 8-2 run, but the Saints were well on top, ending the game on a healthy advantage.

Starlites: 17 Ivan Riolo, 8 Saviour Bonnici

St. James: 14 Billy Zammit, 13 Jonathan Zammit, 11 Stefan Vella, 10 Steve Gouder, 10 Clint Cassar

Referees: Emanuel Mangani, Jean Paul Sammut