Utility Trust St Pauls Killarney were victorious at Killester in the Women’s Superleague, 76-72. Enda Walshe reports
Garvey's Tralee Warriors made light work of getting back to winning ways after a break of a calendar month with a thoroughly comprehensive 105-74 win over St. Vincent's in Glasnevin. A devastating 31 point second quarter laid the foundation for the win which was secured a long time before the final buzzer sounded.
The Warriors didn't have it all their own way early on and trailed 18-9 midway through the opening quarter with JaRon Thames, Eoin McCann, Georgi Tvalabashvili and new recruit Isiah Gaiter combining for a fast start from the hosts but a three from Daniel Jokuabitis and a hat trick of scores from Rap Buivydas got the visitors in gear. Another major from Brandon Mahan sparked a Warriors run that also saw Buivydas on the mark again and when Ryan Leonard and Mark Stephens opened their accounts, the Tralee side had edged 24-22 up at quarter time.
The Warriors momentum carried into the second quarter and with Leonard in range from either side of the arc and Stevens weaving his way to three great scores, the lead was pushed out to 39-26 midway through the quarter. Baskets from Thames, Gaiter and Tvalabashvili kept the hosts just about in touch but a three from Greg Adon and a four point play from Jokubaitis saw Warriors 46-32 to the good. Three scores from Thames maintained Vincent's effort to stay in the game but Josh Osayanrhion, Adon and Mahan ensured the Warriors led 55-39 at the long break.
Daniel Jokubaitis hit the first of his three threes in the third quarter in the opening play to signal that the relentless offensive effort would continue. Buivydas, Adon, Leonard and Mahan lined up to knock down scores from inside and out and despite a major from McCann and two point scores from Thames, Tvalabashvili and a double from Gaiter, the Warriors suddenly had 25 points to spare. A treble from Osayanrhion and a five point volley from Jokubaitis saw out the quarter with the Warriors lead blowing out to 90-53.
As contests go, the game was as good as over going into the final quarter and when Cian Sullivan hit a quick treble at the board and Leonard and Osyanrhion also added to ease the Warriors past the 100 point mark. The Tralee side ran the bench and saw out the game in style despite Vincent's knocking down a series of four three point efforts to boost their score. Keelan Crowe had the honour of hitting the last score for Warriors as they secured the 105-74 win in the end.
Scorers:
Garvey's Tralee Warriors: Daniel Jokubaitis 21, Ryan Leonard 15, Brandon Mahan 14
St. Vincent's: JaRon Thames 23, Isiah Gaiter 14, Eoin McCann 12.
Alan Cantwell reports
Results elsewhere saw League leaders Killester suffer defeat to Ballincollig and Warriors opponents today Belfast Star going down to second from bottom Templeogue by 92-84.
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry SportTop scorers for Killarney Cougars:
Joshua Strongman 27
Ben Todd 13
Adam Linehan 8
For Portlaoise Panthers:
Eric Anderson 21
James Phelan 17
Davin McEvoy 16
Enda Walshe reports on St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry Sport
Scotts Lakers St.Pauls Killarney v Carrick Crusaders in the Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. Photo: David Corkey/Radio Kerry SportThe Men’s Super League this afternoon has Garvey's Tralee Warriors away to Belfast Star from 2.
Weekend review:
SETU Waterford Wildcats took a firm grip on top spot in Women’s Super League after they served up a comprehensive 74-54 triumph over closest rivals FloMAX Liffey Celtics in Leixlip on Saturday night, while in a double-game weekend in Men’s Super League, victories over Maree (100-97) and Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU (102-85) saw UCC Demons overtake Killester at the top of the table, the Dubliners having seen their 12-game winning streak in the top tier ended by Ballincollig (89-80) on Saturday evening.
SETU Waterford Wildcats took some measure of revenge for last month’s Paudie O'Connor National Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of eventual winners, FloMAX Liffey Celtics after they stormed to a 74-54 victory over the Kildare side in Leixlip on Saturday night.
The visitors brought huge intensity to bear at both ends of the court in this Women’s Super League top-of-the-table clash, Chelsea Cain inflicting significant damage in the paint with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Sarah Hickey and Ashia McCalla also weighed in heavily with a combined 34 points.
While Wildcats delivered on the offensive front, they also restricted Celtics to their lowest game total of the season so far, as they moved three points clear at the top of the table and with a game in hand over their Leixlip rivals.
“Liffey Celtics showed up in the Cup semi-final and we didn’t, so we definitely had revenge due for that game” insisted Jillian Hayes, SETU Waterford Wildcats head coach.
“Defensively, I thought we were excellent. We stuck to the game plan and shut everyone down that we possible could, and we had a good variety of scoring ourselves as well.
“I think that was probably our best performance of the season to date, and it’s great when you can lift yourself against the top teams.
“We’ve just got to get better at lifting ourselves no matter who we’re playing, but they certainly did that tonight and I’m very proud of them all” she smiled.
Utility Trust St. Paul’s produced a huge fourth-quarter display to turn an eight-point deficit into a 76-72 victory over defending Women’s Super League champions, Killester in Clontarf on Saturday evening.
Alexandra Wittinger put up seven down the stretch, taking her total on the night to a joint game-high 21, while there was further solid scoring for the Kerry side from Gracen Kerr (20), Denise Dunlea (14) and Mathilde Diop (13).
Michelle Clarke drained half of her 10 attempts from beyond the arc as she equalled Wittinger’s effort on the scoreboard, but even that, and the combined 49 from Hannah Thornton, Destiny Strother and Samantha Haiby, could not see Killester return to winning ways in their first game back since their loss to FloMAX Liffey Celtics in last month’s Paudie O’Connor National Cup decider.
“We’re delighted with the win” said James Fleming, St. Paul’s head coach. “We would have lost that game before Christmas, so it shows we’re learning and maturing as a group.
“On our day, we can beat anyone, and every game going forward is a cup final. The play-offs are a realistic goal again” he insisted.
Having suffered an agonising one-point defeat at the hands of Utility Trust St. Paul’s less than a week before, Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell emerged on the right side of an equally tight game against The Address UCC Glanmire, clinching Friday night’s Cork derby in Mardyke Arena 69-68.
The visitors found themselves nine-points down late in the third quarter, but fought back to overtake down the stretch in a game that saw Edel Thornton serve up 19 points for Brunell.
It was a tough reversal for Glanmire who were looking to bounce back from their five-point loss to leaders, SETU Waterford Wildcats the previous week, but, despite a combined 29 points and 16 rebounds from Aine McKenna and Callie Cavanaugh, they came up just short again.
Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers made it back-to-back wins as they ran out 88-62 victorsaway to University of Galway Mystics on Saturday afternoon.
A big second-quarter performance in which they outscored their hosts by 16, saw the visitors exert a tight grip on this tie, all their players eventually getting on the scoresheet, including Jessica Fressle and Alyssa Velles on a combined 41.
That total was a carbon copy of the return for Galway’s Kara McCleane and Shannon Cunningham, but even their impressive contribution was not enough to inspire the homeside to a first win of the campaign.
The remaining game in this latest round of Women’s Super League fixtures between Catalyst Fr. Mathew’s and Trinity Meteors was abandoned due to condensation build-up on floor.
It proved a productive double-game weekend for UCC Demons in Men’s Super League, a narrow 100-97 victory over Maree in Calasanctius College on Friday night being quickly followed by a 102-85 derby win over Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU at Mardyke Arena on Sunday that saw them overtake Killester at the top of the table.
Patrick Robinson, Kyle Hosford and Elijah Tillman inflicted the bulk of the damage on Ballincollig with the three players combining for a huge 77 points, the latter also soaking up 13 rebounds on the day to help see Demons move three points clear at the summit, albeit having played two games more than Killester in second.
“This had all the makings of a really good derby game” said Daniel O’Mahony, UCC Demons head coach following his side’s victory over Ballincollig.
“We stuck to the game plan to get the ball inside as much as possible. I thought we had a bit of an advantage with Elijah and Toby Christensen there and that worked well for us in the first half.
“Credit to Ballincollig, they came back, but I was really happy with how the guys closed out the game in the end” he said.
It was a disappointing reversal for third-place Ballincollig who were hoping to add to their 89-80 victory over Killester at MTU Arena on Saturday evening, a result that ended a run of 12 straight wins for the Dubliners in the top tier.
Templeogue arrested a run of six defeats in the top ranks after they recorded a 92-84 triumph over Belfast Star in the National Basketball Arena, Jacolbey Owens and Samuel Henderson totalling 47 points, 23 rebounds and 15 assists between them for the hosts on the night.
Star did bounce back on Sunday after they ran out 109-100 winners at home to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors in De la Salle College, De Ondre Jackson amassing a huge 37 points for the hosts, while Darweshi Hunter weighed in with a further 22.
For Tralee, it was a disappointing reversal, as they, only the night before, had chalked up a 105-74 road win against Bright St. Vincent’s.
UCD Marian returned home from Mercy College celebrating an 89-79 success against EJ Sligo All-Stars on Saturday night, Lovre Tvrdic putting up 28 points for the Dublin side, while Jonathan Brown equalled that game-high total for the hosts.
Sligo themselves bounced back on Sunday with a strong fourth-quarter surge that saw them come from a point down to beat Bright St. Vincent’s 95-87 in St. Vincent’s CBS, Robert Montgomery draining four of his seven efforts from downtown on his way to a game-best 30 points for the visitors.
The Men’s Super League double-game weekend continues on Monday with a further three ties down for decision.
Defending champions, Griffith College Éanna play host to Energywise Ireland Neptune, while Killester will be looking to bounce back against Flexachem KCYMS in Killorglin Sports Complex and UCD Marian entertain Templeogue in a Dublin derby.
Having touched off a double-game weekend in Men’s Division One by way of a 102-75 victory over Mater Private Malahide in Jordanstown Sports Village on Friday night, Ulster University put up a real battle against Limerick Celtics in Crescent College on Sunday afternoon, but were pipped by the unbeaten South Conference leaders 82-81.
North Conference leaders, ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers picked up a comprehensive 105-66 victory away to Killarney Cougars in what was their first game back since their President’s National Cup Final loss to Limerick Celtics.
Michael Hayes served up a huge 35 points and 20 rebounds on Saturday as Titans carded an 88-77 success at home against Joels Dublin Lions.
The Clondalkin side, however, ended their weekend on a high after they recorded a 92-74 Dublin derby success on Sunday away to Moy Tolka Rovers, who, only the night before,chalked up a 108-93 triumph over SETU Waterford Vikings.
Drogheda Wolves scooped a 96-78 win on the road against Limerick Sport Eagles, while Carrick Cruisers earned their third win of the campaign after they surmounted Scotts Lakers Killarney 80-73, and Maigh Cuilinn prevailed 75-61 against Team NorthWest in University of Galway Kingfisher.
This Men’s Division One double-game weekend will be concluded on Monday with a further five games being played.
McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles returned to Women’s Division One action for the first time in more than a month, the unbeaten leaders and newly-crowned National Cup winners picking right up where they left off as they ran out 83-54 winners over iSecure Swords Thunder in Virginia Show Centre.
Stephanie McBride put up 32 points and 13 rebounds as second place, Limerick Celtics beat Oblate Dynamos 91-75 in Inchicore on Saturday night.
Earlier in the day, Cleveland Rockets carded a 75-63 victory over Moy Tolka Rovers in Lisburn Racquets Club and Templeogue prevailed 82-73 against Abbey Seals Dublin Lions in the National Basketball Arena.
Results
Men’s Super League
Friday, January 31st
Maree 97-100 UCC Demons
Saturday February 1st
Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU 89-80 Killester
Bright St. Vincent’s 74-105 Garvey’s Tralee Warriors
EJ Sligo All-Stars 79-89 UCD Marian
Templeogue 92-84 Belfast Star
Sunday February 2nd
Belfast Star 109-100 Garvey’s Tralee Warriors
UCC Demons 102-85 Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU
Bright St. Vincent’s 87-95 EJ Sligo All-Stars
Monday February 3rd
Griffith College Éanna vs Energywise Ireland Neptune, Coláiste Éanna, 1500
UCD Marian vs Templeogue, UCD Sports Centre, 1500
Flexachem KCYMS vs Killester, Killorglin Sports Complex, 1630
Women’s Super League
Friday January 31st
The Address UCC Glanmire 68-69 Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell
Saturday February 1st
University of Galway Mystics 62-88 Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers
Killester 72-76 Utility Trust St. Paul’s
FloMAX Liffey Celtics 54-74 SETU Waterford Wildcats
Catalyst Fr. Mathews vs Trinity Meteors (abandoned)
Men’s Division One
Friday January 31st
Ulster University 102-75 Mater Private Malahide
Saturday February 1st
Limerick Sport Eagles 78-96 Drogheda Wolves
Titans BC 88-77 Joels Dublin Lions
Maigh Cuilinn 75-61 Team NorthWest
SETU Waterford Vikings 93-108 Moy Toka Rovers
Scotts Lakers Killarney 73-80 Carrick Cruisers
Killarney Cougars 66-105 ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers
Sunday February 2nd
Limerick Celtics 82-81 Ulster University
Moy Tolka Rovers 74-92 Joels Dublin Lions
Monday February 3rd
Killarney Cougars vs Tipp Talons, Presentation Gym, 1200
Carrick Cruisers vs Team NorthWest, Phoenix Centre, 1500
Maigh Cuilinn vs Scotts Lakers Killarney, University of Galway Kingfisher, 1500
Limerick Sport Eagles vs SETU Waterford Vikings, UL Arena, 1500
ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers vs Drogheda Wolves, St. Mary’s Hall, 1530
Women’s Division One
Saturday February 1st
Cleveland Rockets 75-63 Moy Tolka Rovers
McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles 83-54 iSecure Swords Thunder
Templeogue 82-73 Abbey Seals Dublin Lions
Oblate Dynamos 75-91 Limerick Celtics
Fixtures
Men’s Super League
Thursday February 6th
Griffith College Éanna vs Templeogue, Coláiste Éanna, 2000
Saturday February 8th
Energywise Ireland Neptune vs UCC Demons, Neptune Stadium, 1830
Belfast Star vs UCD Marian, Newforge Sports Complex, 1830
Maree vs Garvey’s Tralee Warriors, University of Galway Kingfisher, 1900
Templeogue vs Bright St. Vincent’s, Nord Anglia, 1900
Flexachem KCYMS vs Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU, Killorglin Sports Complex, 1915
EJ Sligo All-Stars vs Griffith College Éanna, Mercy College, 1930
Men’s Division One
Thursday February 6th
Titans BC vs Limerick Celtics, Ballinfoyle Castlegar Centre, 1945
Saturday February 8th
Ulster University vs Tipp Talons, Jordanstown Sports Village, 1615
Team NorthWest vs Scotts Lakers Killarney, ATU Donegal, 1700
Limerick Celtics vs ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers, Crescent College, 1900
Mater Private Malahide vs Limerick Sport Eagles, Malahide Community School, 1900
Carrick Cruisers vs Titans BC, Phoenix Centre, 1930
Killarney Cougars vs Moy Tolka Rovers, Presentation Gym, 1930
Drogheda Wolves vs SETU Waterford Vikings, Ballymakenny College, 1930
