Warriors second best in Belfast as search for road win continues
InsureMyVan.ie Mens Super League – Round 6
Belfast Star 81
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 61
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors search for a win on the road this season continues after going down by 20 points to Belfast Star who remain unbeaten in both League and Cup after Round 6 of the InsureMyVan.ie Mens Super League. To compound the loss, the Warriors injury worries were further deepened with point guard Johnny Williams joining Daniel Jokubaitis in the treatment room ahead of another tough road trip to Neptune next weekend.
Belfast Star got off to the brighter start and not surprisingly it was their top scorer Tamyrik Fields that opened their account but Ryan Leonard and Eoin Quigley replied for the Warriors to lead early on. A quick 8 point volley from Max Richardson including two three fired the hosts 12-4 up midway through the quarter but Quigley arced in from outside to cut the gap. However Richardson, Fields and Aidan Quinn fired three in a row for Belfast to push the lead out to 18-7. Rap Buivydas made an immediate and impressive impact off the bench to hit from inside and out and a late fade away effort from Jarvis Doles saw the Warriors trail 22-14 at the end of the first.
Belfast pushed the lead out to 14 early in the second with Dre Jackson on the mark with three in a row and despite Cian O’Sullivan chipping in with a score the hosts led 31-17 half way through the quarter. But Warriors responded well with Leonard from either side of the arc, Doles and Buivydas helping to pare the Belfast lead down to 5. Jackson produced a trademark floated effort to restore Belfast’s quarter time lead but Buivydas and Doles left just a single score between the sides. However Richardson from distance and Conor Quinn and Jackson from inside saw Belfast lead 40-32 at half time.
Darragh O’Hanlon knocked down a typical three to get the Warriors going early in the third and despite Jackson replying in kind, Doles and Leonard cut the gap back to 4. Fields, Oisin Kerlin and Conor Quinn with a three saw Belfast hit the 50 point mark to lead by 11 midway through the quarter. However the Warriors found their scores easier to come by as the clock counted down with Quigley, Doles, Steven Bowler and a double from Leonard cutting the Belfast advantage back to 56-50 as the sides headed into the final quarter.
Jarvis Doles continued to find the Belfast net early in the fourth to keep the Warriors in touch but Belfast drove for home with a stunning scoring blitz yielding 15 points in a row and forcing not one but two Warriors timeouts. Richardson continued to torment the visitors defence with another double from inside and outside along with Jackson and Conor Quinn hitting from distance to all but settle the contest with three minutes on the clock. Belfast emptied their bench and Conor Ryan, Frenki Lilaj and Jack Summersgill all obliged with scores late on to seal an 81-61 win in the end.
Scorers:
Belfast Star: Dre Jackson 21, Max Richardson 20, Conor Quinn 10
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Jarvis Doles 17, Ryan Leonard 15, Rap Buivydas 11
It doesn’t get any easier for the Warriors next week as they face a trip to Neptune Stadium to take on EnergyWise Ireland Neptune with former Warriors Jonathan Lawton among their ranks.
Tip off at Neptune Stadium on Saturday next is 6.30pm.
Warriors open Development League with big win in Clare
Basketball Ireland Development League – Round 1
Clare Cascaders 58
Tralee Warriors 105
Tralee Warriors got their Basketball Ireland Development League campaign off to an impressive start last night with a big win over Clare Cascaders in Ennistymon. The Warriors featuring a number of their Senior squad both past and present were simply too strong for the Clare outfit and led throughout the contest.
The Warriors got off to a flying start with Olaf Michalczuk, Zigi Kaletka, James Fernane, Brian O’Leary and Aaron Fleming all in range from either side of the arc to see them lead 17-4 midway through the first. James Leigh and Rory Lindane kept the hosts in touch but the Warriors finished the quarter the stronger with two threes from O’Leary and one from Aaron Fleming giving the visitors a 29-13 quarter time lead.
The Warriors scoring rate dropped in the second allowing the hosts to eat into the quarter time lead through Ciaran Harrington, Killian Devitt and Danny Lavander. However scores from Fernane, Fleming, Michalczuk and Dan Bowler kept the Warriors well in front at 46-34 up at the long break.
The third quarter proved to be the decisive for the Warriors as they simply blitzed the Clare board with scores coming from all angles effectively settling the contest. Padraig and Aaron Fleming, Michalczuk, O’Leary, Kaletka, Bowler and Jack Tobin all found the Cascaders basket and despite resistance in the form of scores from Harrington and Lindane, the Warriors took a game winning 85-44 lead into the final quarter.
The Warriors saw out the win in style in the final quarter with a sustained offensive effort building on the three quarter time lead. The Cascaders chipped away with scores from Leigh, Lindane, Harrington and Tom Kinch but Warriors captain Daire Kennelly, Adam O’Keeffe, Fernane, Bowler and the Fleming brothers Padraig and Aaron helped themselves to baskets to seal an impressive 105-58 win in the end.
Scorers:
Clare Cascaders: James Leigh 13, Ciaran Harrington 12, Rory Lindane 11
Tralee Warriors: Olaf Michalczuk 22, Aaron Fleming 18, Brian O’Leary 14
Next up for the Warriors is a home date against Tipperary Talons in Mercy Mounthawk Gym on Sunday 19th November with tip off at 7.00pm.
Warriors get U20 National League defence off to a flying start
Mens National League – Round 1
Killorglin 43
Tralee Warriors 120
Tralee Warriors began their defence with an emphatic win over local rivals Killorglin on Sunday evening. The Warriors simply dominated and controlled the game from start to finish with posting 30 plus points in both the first and third quarters giving an indication of their scoring rate that saw them end up with 120 points on the board.
The Warriors stunned their hosts with Evan Boyle firing in three three-pointers in the first two minutes to set the tone for what was to come. The scores came thick and fast for the Warriors with Joshua Osayanrhion, Donal O’Sullivan and Eoin Creedon all in range. Killorglin responded with a handful of scores from Tommy and Fionn O’Sullivan but was no answer to the Warriors scoring spree and the visitors led 32-8 at quarter time.
Eddie Sheehy with a double and threes from Olaf Michalczuk and Brian O’Leary pushed the Warriors further ahead early in the second. Tommy O’Sullivan continued to chip in scores for Killorglin but when Osayanrhion, Sheehy, Creedon and Gary Lynch all took their chances the Warriors had a commanding 61-20 lead at half time.
The Warriors high scoring rate continued in the third and they were able to get their scores as they pleased. Four threes from Boyle, Lynch and two from Michalczuk set the trend and when Osayanrhion added another and Brian O’Leary add two the contest was all but settled. Tommy and Fionn O’Sullivan to their credit kept plugging away with scores for Killorglin but the Warriors had amassed 32 points in the quarter to lead 93-32 at the end of the third.
The final quarter saw Eoin Creedon in fine form with scores from inside and out and when Phoenix Costello and Andrew Wallace also added the scoreboard continued to tick over. Tony Duffy and Tommy O’Sullvan were again in range for Killorglin but as the clock ticked down the game ended as it started with a Warriors three pointer, this time for Gary Lynch to end the contest with a final scoreline of 120-43.
Scorers:
Killorglin: Tommy O’Sullivan 17, Fionn O’Sullivan 12, Tony Duffy 8
Tralee Warriors: Joshua Osayanrhion 19, Evan Boyle 17, Olaf Michalczuk 16
Next up for the Warriors is a home date against Blue Demons at the Tralee Sports Complex on Saturday 25th November with tip off at 7.30pm.
