Recap

In the day’s final game, SiGMA Depiro secured a spot in the playoffs with a victory against Luxol at the Ta’ Qali Pavilion.

Nenad Bukva opened proceedings for Depiro before a lull in play, Kameron Rooks putting up the next basket more than two minutes later.

JP Schembri and Nathan Xuereb hit Luxol’s openers as the game eventually began to flow. Xuereb eventually put the Violets up with a three-pointer but Depiro’s Miguel Brincat emulated this at the other end to make it a tie game.

Both sides began to echo each other as the quarter progressed but it was Luxol who edged Depiro to a one-point lead at the first buzzer.

Luxol forward Marko Matijevic restarted the scoring in the second quarter before Andrew Aquilina replied for Depiro. Once more, points came at a premium until both teams settled in, with defence playing the greater part of proceedings. But the final minutes of the half inspired a new-found energy in Depiro’s players who took a 34-28 lead at the break.

Nikola Jovanovic restarted play for the second half with a three-pointer but just like the previous quarter, Aquilina provided his side’s response with a fastbreak layup.

With players more accurate in their efforts after the change of ends, play became a better sight to watch with both sides battling over their minimal margin. However this gap became a 10-point lead for Depiro after two Sean Galea triples.

At the other end, Matijevic was Luxol’s focal point, constantly pitted against Rooks inside the Depiro paint as the Violets’ top point getter of the day. 

The fourth quarter had a strong beginning with Depiro’s Miguel Brincat rising for an acrobatic layup to start the scoring, before Matijevic was again at the forefront of Luxol’s scoring with a hook shot as Duncan Fenech’s side attempted to overcome a deficit that had gone up to 22 with three minutes gone in the rubber. 

Depiro’s experience came into play as their lead grew into the 30-point mark in the final three minutes and they held on to take their sixth consecutive win.