Depiro avenged their early season defeat in the Shield, at the hands of Loyola, to jump to the top of the table, with their third straight win.
Depiro’s pressing on the ball players brought the desired results, and Loyola were found wanting in the crucial moments of the match, as their players were never given space by an energetic Depiro outfit.
Although there was some hard running at the start, both sides had poor finishes. It was Loyola who recovered first, to take a 6-2 lead.
Depiro settled down and their orderly play put them in front. Rachel Camilleri then used her speed to conclude two fast breaks, as Depiro were still in front.
In the second quarter Depiro inproved on their advantage, through Greta Zarb, but Kathleen Gouder came off the bench for Loyola, and her points brought her side to just a point behind, at 15-16. Play was moving from end to end, as Depiro twice went in front, only to be pulled back. A Sarah Pace hoop gave Depiro a 22-20 halftime lead.
After the break Depiro managed to keep their noses in front, and every time Loyola threatened to tie the score Depiro found means to intercept passes and operate on fast breaks. Loyola’s indecisions at both ends of the court kept Depiro ahead and, right at the end of the session, another lost ball permitted Greta Zarb to sink in a trey.
Depiro’s lead went up to a 39-32 score after three sessions.
In the final quarter, Depiro always found ways and means to nullify Loyola’s attempts to draw near. Their pressing resulted in turnovers in their favour, and as time passed, and Loyola began to concentrate on attack, they were hit again by Depiro’s lethal breaks.
An 8-2 run put paid to any faint hopes Loyola might have had of a recovery, and Depiro sailed on to their third league victory, as Sammy Jo Barbara put in her side’s only trey, in their defeat.
LOYOLA: 11 Dorianne Galea, 10 Sandra Schembri Wismayer
DEPIRO: 17 Greta Zarb, 16 Rachel camilleri, 10 Sarah Pace
REFEREES: Jean Paul Sammut, Jennifer Mangani
Luxol made it two wins out of three matches in the league, after beating Sliema for the second time this season, after their Shield win, on their way to a semi-final spot.Sliema are still searching for their first seasonal win.
Luxol dominated the game, although there were two lapses in their play, at the start of the second and fourth quarters.
Luxol took half a session to adjust their shooting, after they created enough openings, and at mid-session they were still trailing to a Francesca Farrugia hoop.
The Violets then got going, with Mandy Sciortino sinking a trey, as they compiled an 11-0 run, snapped by a Leanne Sciberras close-range hoop. Luxol got stuck again, and another 7-0 run improved their advantage.
In the second session, Sciortino and Lara Chetcuti obtained Luxol’s points, in an 8-2 run, and Dana Mckean was Sliema’s spearhead, as she interrupted Luxol’s sequences.
Late in the session Kirsten Micallef made some points for Luxol, and they finished up with a Psaila Savona trey, and a 41-12 interval lead.
After the break there was once more a scarcity of points, and four minutes passed before young Nicola Said opened Luxol’s account. This time it was Leanne Sciberras who made Sliema’s points in return, as the Violets found their way to the basket. Luxol’s advantage kept increasing, and after three sessions, there was a 54-18 score.
In the final quarter, Luxol fully exploited Sliema’s inexperience, and their steals and fast breaks accounted for a good number of points. A 9-0 run at the start paved the way, and Nicola Said made the most of her time on court, to enhance her personal tally.
The Violets scored at will, as Sliema faded away with Luxol’s pressure.
LUXOL: 27 Amanda Sciortino, 18 Kirsten Micallef, 13 Francesca Psaila Savona
SLIEMA: 8 Leanne Sciberras
REFEREES: Alfred Carbonaro, Jennifer Mangani
Kerygma recorded their first league win in three matches, leaving Suns still seeking their first seasonal success.
Suns had mentor Robert Camilleri missing, and his place was taken by Hubert Agius. Kerygma had prolific scorer Renette Debono also missing in this match.
Kerygma were successful in their outside shooting, putting in eleven treys in all.
They had an auspicious start, with treys by Agnetha Agius and Josette Calleja, in an 8-0 run. Suns had difficulty in the opening stages, but they managed to share the points till the end of the quarter, in a low-score period, as both sides had weak shooters.
In the second session, Kerygma once again obtained their treys, two in a row, by Moira Caruana, and later on Josette Calleja sank in her second. Immediately after, it was Diane Falzon for Suns, with her first trey, as Suns were playing better. Kerygma still managed to increase their advantage, and at the interval they were 27-15 in front.
After the break, Kerygma started to take the match firmly in hand. After a brief, dry spell, Kerygma’s treys started sprouting again. Calleja’s third was followed by a couple from Lara Cauchi, and in between Diane Falzon sank her second trey for Suns, Kerygma were steadily pulling away, and Elaine Cutajar’s points, as she entered on court after the interval, enabled Kerygma to end the third session 45-20 ahead.
In the final quarter, both sides had a quiet start, after an amount of scrappy play. Suns were more adventurous, and their hoops started going in. They were hit again by another Calleja trey, but they still managed to share the exchanges. Kerygma always had their comfortable lead to rely on, and in the last stages of the match they piled up a 13-0 run, including two other Calleja treys, to close the game.
SUNS: 8 Diane Falzon
KERYGMA: 21 Josette Calleja, 9 Lara Cauchi
REFEREES: Bernard Vassallo, Jennifer Mangani