Athleta keep pressing Balkans, at the top of the standings
Hibernians 58 Gzira Athleta 84 (14-19, 13-22, 16-20, 1523)
Athleta managed the double over the Paolites, and kept up the pressure on the league leaders, Balkan.
They registered their fifth victory on the trot, and also introduced another foreigner, the Italian, Carmelo Pucchia.
Albert Serra was back, after missing their last win, over Depiro, but Michael Giusti and Benoit Bartolo were missing. Hibs were without Michael Hampton and Eman Xuereb.
Athleta's first four hoops were all replied to by the Paolites, but gradually Athleta began to pull away, opening up a better advantage, even if Kieran Caruana netted a late Hibs triple.
Serra led the charge, and he kept on, in the second period, as he sank a trey, in an early 93 Athleta run.
Caruana answered for the Paolites, with his second trey, but Serra kept on with his hoops.
Again, Caruana netted a trey, with Athleta then closing down the session with a 7-2 run, to go in, at the interval, on a 41-27 advantage.
After the break Athleta began by building up on their lead, with an 8-2 start.
Paul Attard made a Hibs triple, and Kurt Sultana followed with a brace of hoops. Athleta increased their advantage, before Sultana managed a slate triple, for the Paolites, although Athleta were still comfortable, on a 61-23 score.
In the last quarter Hibs put in a quick hoop, but then Athleta took the match in hand, to make up a heavy 19-2 run with more Serra points, and a second trey.
The match was won and lost, but the Paolites came up with triples, in the closing stages, from Caruana, with two more, and Attard's second one. Francesco Mifsud Bonnici netted Athleta's last two hoops, in their substantial victory.
A. Galea 2, M. Formosa 2, K. Sultana 11, P. Attard 12, I. Bonett 9, R. Aquilina, J. Piscopo, K. Caruana 22, M. Laferla
F. Mifsud Bonnici 12, C. Pucchia 2, A. Serra 36, L. Stefanovic 10, M. Gauci Montaldo 2, N. Xuereb 6, J. Aquilina , J. Caruana 2, S. Vincic 11, J. Ransley 2, M. Cilia 1
Z. Dobrosavljevic, V. Nikolic