Luxol made sure of the top placing in their group, obtaining an easy win over Kerygma, as Francesca Psaila Savona ran riot, pouring in her treys throughout the match. Kerygma had a bright patch at the end of the opening session and continued in the next session, but then faded away, as Luxol established their dominance.

The Violets were leading after the first Psaila Savona trey, but Kerygma turned the score around till the end of the quarter to lead by a single point, after a last second Renette Debono hoop.

Kerygma went on against a hesitant Luxol side in the second session, to post their biggest lead – a 16-10 score – after treys from both sides.

Mandy Sciortino then started off her points tally, and a 13-0 run was finished off with Justine Mangion points. Kerygma recovered a little at the end, but Luxol were still ahead at the interval, on a 25-20 score.

After the break Psaila Savona extinguished whatever hopes Kerygma might have had of making a comeback, as she put in three treys in a row. Kerygma did recover somewhat, but they were still being tormented by Psaila Savona, and then Kirsten Micallef also came up with a couple of her treys. After three sessions it was done and dusted, with a 50-29 score.

In the final quarter, Kerygma were overwhelmed once more, and as was the case against Hibs, in their previous match, they went through a whole session without managing a single point. This time it was Lara Chetcuti and young Nicola Said who stole the honours for Luxol, with the latter also finding time to sink in a trey.

Luxol: 30 Francesca Psaila Savona, 12 Lara Chetcuti, 11 Mandy Sciortino

Kerygma: 9 Renette Debono

Referees: Emanuel Mangani, Jean Paul Sammut

Hibs Medsea 74

Sliema Wanderers 17

(23-8)(24-2)(15-3)(12-4)

The Paola side had a resounding victory over the modest Sliema outfit, and it was a good day for the bench players, who lasted a good part of the match, due to the nature of the game.

Besides the missing Nadia Mifsud, still abroad, Hibs also had Doreen Parnis absent for the match, although she was not really felt by her team mates, given the opposition they were facing.

The champions started at a fast pace, unnerving Sliema, who couldn’t find any suitable defence to Hibs’ game. Sliema found the way to basket only on sporadic occasions, as the Paolites ran up a good first session lead, to treat the rest of the match in a comfortable fashion.

In the second quarter Sliema were hit harder, as the Hibs side changed its formation, but still were much too good for their younger opponents, who had Vanya Busuttil back in action, after a long spell away from competitive play.

After a 9-0 run, broken by a Lonike Calleja hoop, Hibs denied Sliema any other point till the end of the quarter, marking up another 15-0 run, so that at the interval it was a strong 47-10 lead for the champions.

After the break Hibs started to tone down their hectic play, but Sliema were not allowed any openings in defence. The Paolites also found time to sink in a couple of treys, and extend their lead still further. After three sessions Hibs led 62-13.

In the final quarter the exertions caught up with both teams, and Hibs had young Francesca Tabone to thank, in increasing their lead in the first part of the session, when two treys opened the gap further, before Francesca Farrugia grabbed a couple of hoops for Sliema at the end.

Hibs will meet Loyola in the semis when they will be played later on in the season.

Hibernians: 15 Alexis Darmanin, 10 Maria Desira

Sliema: 6 Francesca Farrugia

Referees: Emanuel Mangani, Jean Paul Sammut

Women - Group B

SN Suns JC 18

Loyola Xuereb Inst. 66

(4-23)(7-15)(2-15)(5-13)

After their exertions, in their victory over Depiro, it was an easier match for Loyola, as they topped their group. They now meet Hibernians in the semi-final. Suns played their usual wholehearted game, and Jenny Mizzi played her first seasonal game, after missing Suns’ first match, against Depiro.

Loyola went out running straight from the start, and after just six seconds had already taken the lead, through the game’s top scorer, Dorianne Galea. Suns did manage a couple of hoops in the opening quarter, but Loyola ended with a good 19-0 run, as they pressed their opponents for long periods.

In the second session Loyola changed their whole side on court, and their scoring rate dwindled somewhat. Suns managed to put in a trey, through Maria Busuttil, and Jenny Mizzi also got in among the points, but Loyola extended their advantage, to a 38-11 score at the interval.

After the break Suns again felt the brunt of Loyola’s attacking plays. This time Suns could only force in a single hoop, as Loyola put in a 9-0 run in the latter stages of the quarter, to post a 53-13 score, after three sessions.

In the final period Loyola did not let up, and made an opening 10-0 run, before being halted with a second Suns trey, by Diane Falzon, which was part of a 5-0 run. The game ended with Dorianne Galea making a number of free shots, to end her contribution on a good note.

SUNS: 6 Jenny Mizzi

Loyola: 23 Dorianne Galea, 9 Denise Hollier

Referees: Emanuel Mangani, Stephen Micallef