BUPA Luxol     82

A to Z Electronics Athleta     63

(16-15) (26-14) (23-26) (17-8)

Luxol are now in second place, with a definite chance of making the Play-off final, as Athleta, already assured of a place in the final, suffered a heavy defeat against their neighbours.

It took the Violets eight games this season, to get the better of their rivals, but it couldn’t have come at a better time, as they are jousting with Siggiewi for the other Play Off place. Luxol’s victory gains in merit, seeing that they played with a reduced outfit.

Luxol had three players missing, Robert Azzopardi, Andrew Cremona and Edgar Caruana Montaldo. Athleta had Omar Said just on the bench, but recovered Etienne Bezzina, and introduced two youngsters, Malcolm Tong and Clint Grahm.

Luxol began with a couple of triples, by JP Bonnici and Nikola Vasovic. Athleta’s reaction put them in front, but the Violets came up with a brace of hoops, to overturn the score.

Athleta made a suitable response, with a 7-0 run, ending with a Jonathan Zammit triple. Their new advantage was wiped out with a late three basket burst by Luxol, who regained their advantage. In the second period Luxol started off with a trio of triples, from Vasovic, and a couple by JP Bonnici. Etienne Bezzina replied with another trey for Athleta, and later on his side made up a 7-0 run, ending with a Chris Galea trey. The Violets put in their triples in a row once more, by Bonnici, and twice from Petar Apcev. There were a further two hoops at either end, and at the interval Luxol enjoyed a 42-29 adfvantage.

After the break Athleta had Zammit with more points, and a second triple. After a Luxol reply, it was Steve Schembri with another Athleta triple, as they crept nearer. Apcev netted his third Luxol trey, but Athleta came nearer still, until Vasovic made two hoops for the Violets.

Till the end of the session Addison Bonnici nailed two triples for Athleta, but in between Luxol made enough points for a 65-55 lead.

In the last period Luxol’s opening 11-2 run, with yet another JP Bonnici triple, had them on a substantial advantage. Athleta could only reply in fits and starts, and were well controlled by the Violets’ defence. Both sides managed to add on to their tally, but Luxol’s lead remained constant, as they swept to their first win over Athleta.

Luxol: C. Cordina, 12 M. Mercieca, 4 A. Micallef Trigona, 25 P. Apcev, A. Costa, 14 N. Vasovic, 2 T. Paris, 25 JP Bonnici, S. Capello

Athleta: 2 M. Naudi, 12 J. Zammit, 3 C. Galea, 5 E. Bezzina, 2 M. Tong, 10 D. Schembri, C. Grahm, 14 A. Bonnici, 4 K. Baldacchino, 4 A. Ryan, 7 S. Schembri

Referees: B. Vassallo, G. Barbara, A. Carbonaro