Floriana 62

Qormi Kia 64

(11-21) (17-19) (12-10) (22-14)

Floriana came back at the end of the game, but not enough, as Qormi held out at the end to make sure of their top spot till the end of the group games.

Qormi had a flying start, with a 14-0 opening run before Floriana could start their recovery. In the second session Qormi’s treys starting pouring in but Floriana held their own, although Qormi still held on to their lead, and at the halfway mark it was a 40-28 game.

After the break the Greens opened up well to get within contention but Qormi recovered to open their lead yet again, and after three sessions they were in a 50-40 advantage.

The final quarter found Floriana making a strong effort to bridge the gap. They were creeping slowly nearer but were hit with a Simon Cauchi trey. They still recovered and Roberto Formosa, who had a good game, pulled them back to just a point down in the final minute. Qormi held out with their freeshots to deny Floriana of their chance to challenge Qormi for the top spot.

Floriana: 26 Roberto Formosa, 12 Patrick Lentini, 12 Michael Amaira

Qormi: 14 Jason Dalli, 11 Trevor Grech

Referees: Gordon Barbara, Steve Gouder

SN Suns 52

Mellieha SVS 37

(13-9) (9-11) (17-11) (13-6)

Suns’ victory means that now they can challenge Floriana for the second spot in the tables.

Mellieha suffered Suns’ insistence at the start of the match, but rallied at the end of the first session, although they were still in arrears. Suns improved on their lead in the second quarter, but then fell away till the end of the session, allowing Mellieha to grab a 9-0 run, as the interval saw Suns enjoying a slight lead, at 22-20.

After the break Suns once more forged ahead, thanks to their treys, as Floriana fell behind, on a 23-35 score. They recovered slightly till the end of the session, but Albert Borg sank a trey in the last quarter for Suns at the start of the fourth session and they made sure, going on to a 48-34 lead. They controlled the rest of the match, and finished comfortable winners, for their fifth league win.

Suns: 17 Robert Camilleri, 16 Mark Schembri

Mellieha: 12 Graham Coleiro

Referees: Stephen Micallef, Jennifer Mangani