Luxol     71     Arms Depiro     86

(14-21. 16-21, 18-25, 23-19)

There are still some more games to be played, but Depiro were aware of their fifteen point defeat by the Violets, in the opening round of play, and their target was to surpass this points deficit. They only managed to reach it, and now there is a tie between the two sides, to be solved in their next two league encounters. Depiro had beaten, and eliminated Luxol in two different competitions, to make up for their early three losses, and they kept on their winning streak, as American, Hannah Johnson, really relished playing against the Violets, as she racks up quite a hefty tally of points each time. The Luxol defence really has no answer to the Johnson menace. The Violets were falling further behind, with each passing session, and only managed to halt this threat when the game was long done and dusted, in the last quarter.

Depiro went into an 11-3 lead, soon after the start, with early johnson buckets, and a Denise Said Hollier trey. Luxol cut down on their deficit, with Sarah Pace and the Latvian, Zane Neilande, hoops, but more Johnson points ensured a better advantage. Pace sank a Luxol triple, early on in the second period, but Depiro always had Johnson, and Nicole Agius also sank a trey. So did Luxol's Pace, with Depiro keeping the upper hand, till the interval, as the score went up to 42-30, in their favour.

After the break both sides increased their points tally, from the previous sessions. Monique Caruana made a Luxol triple, but the Johnson show went on, for Depiro. Pace netted her third Luxol trey, but they couldn't stop their opponents from making more headway, and opening up the lead still further. the score was on 67-48, when the last session began. Caruana and Beverlee Zammit put in more Luxol triples, with Depiro balancing out with more Johnson hoops. Zammit managed two mor4e treys, for teh Violets, and Pace also made her fourth triple, to keep Depiro within the first game distance. It was Julia Borg, with a late hoop, her only points in the match, to help Depiro to a fifteen-point win, equalling their first-round defeat deficit.

Luxol: S. Pace 24, M. Caruana 17, N. Vella, C. Solami, No. Vella, S. Vella 8, K. Portelli, A. Borg 1, B. Zammit 9, J. Schembri, L. Caruana Montaldo, Z. Neilande 12

Depiro: No. Agius, N. Borg, N. Agius 8, F. Mifsud, J. Borg 2, D. Said Hollier 3, M. Scicluna 7, C. Ciantar 13, C. Camilleri, J. Xerri 4, N. Hili 2, H. Johnson 47, E. Cassar 

Referees: K. Dworniczak, S. Tafilica, A. Andaya