Floriana MCP Car Parks     77     Hibernians     91

(23-24, 21-23, 19-16, 14-28)

The Paolites are back again, at the top placing, with equal games, with Athleta, and a game more than Starlites, two points in arrears.  This was a league double by Hibs, over Floriana, in the only two games between these two sides, this season. Floriana enjoyed leads in the opening part of the encounter, were level, going into the last quarter, but then fell away badly in the latter stages of the match, allowing the champions to finish the game at a canter, getting a maximum advantage right at the very end. Once more the Greens had two of their three Davids missing, Camilleri and Agius, whilst the Paolites, with their full complement of players, still have their Serbian, Marco Matijevic still a spectator on the bench for the umpteenth time.

American, Ian Thiesen, started Floriana off, with his opening two buckets, with Hibs overturning the score, with their initial 8-1 run. Shawn pace netted a Floriana trey, and they were twice in front, but the champions regained their lead, as Roderick Vella sank a triple. The Greens again held leads on three more occasions, but lost out, in the final seconds of the period, when Italian, Luca Tardito, with a sound game on his part, put Hibs ahead. The second session had the Greens once more in the lead, and Thiesen made his trey. The Paolites co-ordinated their paly, and came with a steady 17-2 run, as Luke farrugia nad twice the Spanish, Alvaro Lizaur, put in triples. Floriana came right back, till the interval, slicing away their deficit, with Thiesen and Belgian, Gael Hulsen, hoops, with Thiesen also with his third trey, but a late Lizaur triple, his third, had Hibs on a 47-44 halftime advantage.

After the break Floriana went to within a point, but then saw Hibs drawing further away again, as Lizaur sank another trey, in an 11-0 run.  Treys kept going in, with Kieron Caruana and Kurt Xuereb for the Greens, and Lizaur in between, for the champions. Floriana were close once more, and a late, second, Pace triple, saw both sides on a par, at 63-63. The Paolites struck again, with Lizaur and Chad Cuschieri Patus treys, at the start of the last quarter. Floriana crept back, to a hoop behind, but that was when the champions strode forward with determination. Although an early 7-0 run, with a further Lizaur trey, had Hulsen replying with his brace of Floriana buckets, Hibs were not to be denied, and they followed up with a better 11-1 run, and an eighth Lizaur triple, to lay claim on the victory. Estonian, Kevin Liivamagi, did make a Floriana trey, late in the game, but the Paolites were already home and dry by that time.

Floriana: S. Pace 6, D. Bugeja 4, S. Borg, K. Caruana 3, K. Liivamagi, I. Arias 3, Ian Thiesen 27, K. Xuereb 11, G. Hulsen 18

Hibs: R. Vella 8, P. Attard, K. Sultana, L. Farrugia 3, M. Formosa, I. Bonett, L. Tardito 18, A. Axiaq 14, M. Matijevic, A. Lizaur 30, I. Demcesen 6, C. Cuschieri Patus 12  

Referees: B. Vassallo, T. Mantere, M. Hraisha