In the Domino’s Men’s Super League Garvey’s Tralee Warriors won 85-83 at Marian. Alan Cantwell reports
For the third time this season Garvey’s Tralee Warriors got the better of UCD Marian as Jordan Perkins hit the winning score in a chaotic finale to see the Tralee side edge a cliffhanger by 85-83. A week after knocking the Dublin college side out of the Cup at the semi-final stage, the Warriors doubled down to edge a tight contest at Belfield in what proved to be a very useful warm up for the National Cup final next Saturday.
The Warriors brought the momentum from last week in Neptune Stadium into the opening quarter of the contest and fired their way to a 18-10 lead by the midpoint of the quarter. Iggy Hunte was back to his best shooting 13 of those points with Cian Sullivan also on the mark with a double. At the other end a Sean Fitzpatrick major got UCD on the board, another from Bruce Saintilus and a quickfire seven points from Sean O’Flynn cut the Warriors lead to 4. Jordan Perkins put his name on the scoresheet adding 6 points in a minute for Warriors before Marian unleashed a scoring spree to register the next 12 points without reply. Four baskets from Hinton and another from Ronan Byrne turned a 7 point deficit into a 30-25 UCD lead at quarter time.
Daniel Jokubaitis gave Warriors the perfect start to the second quarter before Olaf Michalczuk, as he did last week in Cork, announced his arrival on the court by swishing two stunning back to back three pointers to see the Warriors take the lead by 33-32 forcing UCD to call a timeout. Out of the timeout James Connaire struck from distance for the hosts before Jordan Perkins pulled up with an instant reply in kind but Connaire with the very next play repeated the dose to put the hosts back in front midway through. Marian hit foul trouble with 5 minutes still on the clock and after Steven Bowler drilled a major score the Warriors hit 6 from 8 from the free throw line to maintain a narrow advantage. However another late rally from Marian saw Hinton and Jack Kehoe in range and another from Saintilus and a three pointer from Tom Maguire saw the students edge ahead by 55-54 at the half time break.
Soltiris Miltiadis added to the Marian lead with his first score of the night but Jordan Perkins then struck from either side of the three point line to put the Warriors ahead for just the second time in the game. A major strike from Saintilus was bettered at the other end when Michalczuk conjured up another couple moments of magic to repeat his trick from the second quarter and keep the Warriors in front. Keelan Crowe added his name to the scoresheet but a double from Saintilus late on wrestled the lead back for UCD to keep their one point halftime advantage in place up 71-70 going into the final quarter.
Hinton and Ronan Byrne hit a basket apiece early in the fourth but Cian Sullivan’s third score of the night kept just two points between the teams midway through a tense but exciting final quarter. Jokubaitis levelled with a tough finish and Perkins followed up with a stylish three from beyond the arc but a double from Byrne maintained Marian’s slender lead before Jokubaitis and Saintilus were flawless from the line to preserve the status quo. Inside the final minute a Warriors foul in midcourt handed James Connaire the chance to win the game for the hosts but he rimmed out with both attempts. Jordan Perkins nailed a two point jumper with the next play to put the Warriors up by 1 before a breathless finale saw UCD denied with three separate efforts at the Warriors board before Sean Fitzpatrick was called for an offensive foul allowing Iggy Hunte to swish the insurance score at the other end and seal the 85-83 win.
Scorers:
UCD Marian: Bruce Saintilus 25, Zach Hinton 21, Ronan Byrne 8
Garvey's Tralee Warriors: Iggy Hunte 27, Jordan Perkins 21, Olaf Michalczuk 12
Next up for Warriors is their chance to capture the Pat Duffy National Cup for the second time in their short history when they step onto the court at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght to take on keen rivals Ballincollig in what promises to be a cracking contest. Tip off next Saturday night is at 8.00pm.
Flexachem KCYMS were beaten by UCC Demons, who won 88-74. Ger Nolan reports
Team Flexachem were at home on Saturday evening for their 12th game of the season, with UCC Demons providing the opposition. Tip-off was at 7.15, with Killorglin on top for most of the opening period with their new American centre Pearce Uniache notching up 8 points. However, a late surge by Demons including two 3 pointers from Daryl Cuff reduced the Launersiders lead to the minimum at 23 to 22 heading into the second quarter.
An evenly matched and scrappy second period which saw both sides fouling a lot, which led to several trips to the free throw line, and resulted in a lot of broken play and did not make for good viewing. By half time Team Flexachem had held on to their slim lead at 41 to 40.
Demons opened strongly in the third with scores from Kyle Hosford, Tala Fam Thiam and David Lehane. Killorglin kept in touch thanks mainly to the efforts of Eche Okeke but once again the quarter was marred by persistent fouling and interrupted play. However in the final minute of the period things took a turn for the worst for Team Flexachem. Late scores by Demons James Hannigan coupled with Jordan Blount being fouled out saw the Cork outfit with a ten point lead heading into to the closing quarter at 57 to 67.
Things got worse again in the first minute of the fourth quarter when Killorglin's Pearce Uniache picked up his fifth foul. From then on the outcome of the game was in the Demons hands and they ran out easy winners on a final scorline of 74 to 88. From an entertainment point of view this game is best consigned to the dustbin of amnesia, constant fouling and broken play marred the encounter.
Best for the home side was Eche Okeke on 27 points while for Demons,James Hannigan and Daryl Cuff had 19 each.
In Men’s Division 1 Utility Trust St Pauls Lakers won 74-72 at Titans.
Killarney Cougars lost to Moycullen, who won 81-49. Clodagh Donnelly reports
Top Scorers
Killarney Cougars
Simon Olanipekun – 20
Joshua Phillips – 9
Kenny Shimwa – 8
Adam Linehan – 7
Paul Adedeji - 5.
Moycullen
Grant Olsen – 32
Ivan Bašić – 22
Antonio Molina Calvente – 14
Dylan Cunningham – 7
The Women's BIDL League saw Garvey's Tralee Warriors win at Brunell 77-50. The Warriors led at the end of all four quarters and a standout third quarter was decisive in the outcome of the contest with the Warriors outscoring the hosts by 27-13. Priya O'Donovan 16, Louise Galvin 14 and Orla O'Mahony 12 were all in good form in front of the Brunell board.
Alan Cantwell reports
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors Women’s BIDL side got back to winning ways following defeat at home to Glanmire by comprehensively outscoring Brunell by 77-50 in Round 4 of the League in Cork yesterday. The Warriors led at the end of all four quarters but a powerful 27-14 third quarter for the Tralee side proved decisive in securing the impressive 27 point win in the end.
Warriors top scorer on the day Priya O’Donovan was in range from inside and out in the opening exchanges and with Niamh O’Conchuair also on the mark the Warriors led 7-0. Brunell replied in kind to level the game through Mia Lynch, Katie Bland and Emma Brown and a major effort from both Bland and Lych edged the hosts ahead. However Louise Galvin’s return to action yielded a hat trick of first quarter scores and baskets from O’Donovan and Mary Kate Smith helped the Warriors to an 18-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Warriors continued to find the Brunell basket with some ease early in the second and scores from Emily Flynn, Orla O’Mahony and Mary Kate Smith put 9 between the teams. Baskets from Emma Browne and Katie Bland kept the home side in touch but with Meabh Barry and O’Conchuair both in range either side of Priya O’Donovan’s second three of the game, the Warriors pushed their advantage out to 12. Brunell sprung McKenzie Lucey from the bench to great effect as she hit back to back threes before two from two from the line to cut the gap to 4. However, Orla O’Mahony with the final act of the half added to give the Warriors a 35-29 lead at the long break.
The contest was effectively settled in the third quarter with the Warriors producing some of the best basketball they have played this season. Brunell had no answer to the Warriors onslaught with scores raining down on the hosts basket. A major score from Aisling Counihan, Priya O’Donovan with three two pointers, and inside scores from Mary Kate Smith, Meabh Barry and Louise Galvin saw all the Warriors get in on the act and only a Katie Bland hat trick and threes from Mia Lynch and Sophie O’Keeffe provided Brunell with some degree of modest resistance but at the end of the third the contest was headed for an inevitable conclusion with the Tralee side leading 62-42 at three quarter time.
The Warriors offensive effort did not relent early in the final quarter with Emily Flynn on the mark and Aisling Counihan hitting her second three of the game. Brunell’s top scorer Katie Bland chipped in with Emma Browne late on but Meabh Barry, Mary Kate Smith and Orla O’Mahony capped a thoroughly deserved win for Warriors with a basket each ahead of the final buzzer.
Scorers:
Brunell: Katie Bland 18, McKenzie Lucey 8, Mia Lynch 8
Garvey's Tralee Warriors: Priya O’Donovan 16, Louise Galvin 14, Orla O’Mahony 12
Next up for Warriors is a home tie against Ballincollig at Mercy Mounthawk Gym on Saturday 24th January with tip off at 4.00pm.
Today in the Mens U20s National League Garvey's Tralee Warriors and St. Paul's Killarney meet in Moyderwell at 5.
Basketball Ireland weekend review:
St. Vincent’s beat Ballincollig 86-85 through free throws from William Thomas inside the final minute to give the Dublin side their seventh win of the season and the Cork side’s first loss in 14 games.
Joshua Reynolds led the way in his debut for Vincent’s with 23 points on an efficient 8-13 shooting performance. Only Latrell Jossell for Ballincollig scored more with Jossell dropping a 29-point performance that was just short enough of what was needed for the win as Vincent’s edged out the victory in the final seconds of the game. Vincent’s are now in sixth place in the table and level with Tralee and UCD Marian in the table at 7-6. For Ballincollig, they fall to 10-3 and are just behind Belfast Star, who moved back to top after their victory on Saturday.
Belfast Star’s win managed to affect both sides of the table as they defeated Energywise Ireland Neptune 95-79 through the duo of Shane Bell and Irish international Rapolas Buivydas, who scored 22 each for Belfast. Star held their biggest lead midway through the third with them reaching a 24-point gap. The win is their second in a row after losing two straight before that. The loss for Neptune sees them fall to the bottom of the Men’s Super League table with a 3-10 record after they managed to overtake fellow Cork side UCC Demons a few weeks ago.
UCC Demons managed to get their first victory in three games after they defeated Flexachem KCYMS 88-74 in Killorglin. James Hannigan and Daryl Cuff stole the show for Demons, who combined for 38 points in the win. Jeffery Okeke had a game-high 27 points for Killorglin, who tried to keep the game as competitive as possible with the lead changing hands on eight separate occasions. The loss sees Killorglin slip further away from the playoff places after an eighth defeat of the season and leaves them sitting in tenth. For Demon’s they overtake Neptune and out of the bottom of the table.
Limerick Celtics took a big step towards the playoff spots with a 114-103 victory over EJ Sligo All-Stars in Limerick. A 39-point first quarter put Celtics well on their way to a fifth win of the season behind the league leader in scoring in AJ Williams. Williams had 32 points along with 12 assists with him hitting four of his own three’s on an astounding 41 efficiency. Celtics had a further five players in double digits, with Finn Hughes scoring 18, newest acquisition Tony Hauser getting 18 and then Ruairi Cronin, Abdul Wurie and Philip Kearney also in double digits. John Carroll managed to score 31 for Sligo along with 25 for RJ Etyle-Rock. But Celtics offence managed to find a new level at the right time as we approach the final stretch for a playoff push. Celtics now sit in eighth alone with a record of 5-8. Sligo are now a game behind at 4-9 as they sit in ninth position in the table.
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors managed to edge UCD Marian with late scores inside the final 30 seconds to take the lead and win the game 85-83 in UCD. A finish from Jordan Perkins along with an Irshaad Hunte free throw secure the victory for Tralee as both players combined for 48 points. The action in UCD was some of the most dramatic of the weekend as the lead changed hands on 20 different occasions. The win for Tralee has them at 7-5 and closing in on the chasing pack for a home playoff as they are just under a game away from both St. Vincent’s and Marian in the table. The loss has Marian at 7-6 but still in fifth position for now.
Killester overcame Griffith College Éanna 82-76 in a battle of third against fourth in Colaiste Éanna. 17 lead changes across the four quarters of action showed the intensity both sides brought to the game as the race for the playoffs heat up. Killester had four players scoring in double digits along with 14 rebounds from pro Baptiste Chazelas putting them on their way to a difference-making 54 boards compared to Éanna’s 39. Éanna managed to reduce the lead to three points with ten seconds on the clock, but Robert Braswell managed to hit all of his free throws to see out the win for Killester. The win puts Killester at 9-4 for the season and leaves Éanna at 8-5 in third and fourth respectively.
Utility Trust St. Paul's and Killester remain deadlocked at the top of the Domino's Women's Super League, but there is no let up from the chasing pack as Trinity Meteors' seventh win of the season kept them within at least two games of the top spot of the Domino's Women's Super League.
The Dublin side recovered from last week’s WSL National Cup semi-final loss to FloMAX Liffey Celtics with a convincing 78-59 victory over the winless Fr. Mathews. Aisling Moran and Kylie Horstmeyer combined for 35 in a game where Meteors biggest lead of the game was at 25 points late in the game. The win sees Trinity go to 7-4 for the season and sit in third just behind Utility Trust St. Pauls Killarney and Killester, who play tomorrow. For Fr. Mathews, the loss is their 11thstraight in the league and they sit firmly at the foot of the table with the closest team being Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers, who are two wins ahead of Fr. Mathews.
FloMAX Liffey Celtics continued their resurgence as they entered the top half of the table with a 90-85 win over SETU Waterford Wildcats. Liffey had three players scoring at least 20 points, Destinee Burch led the way with 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists along with 20-point games for both Brooke Kane and Katie Williamson. Aine O’Connor flanked the trio with a strong 16-point game to push Liffey through to their sixth victory of the season. Irish international Sarah Hickey was the standout for Waterford with 25 points and six rebounds in a game where the Wildcats led the game with just one minute left on the clock. But scores from Aine O’Connor and Sorcha Tiernan managed to turn the game around and send Liffey to sixth spot in the table. The loss for Waterford sees them fall to 5-6 and sitting in seventh in the table.
Utility Trust St. Pauls Killarney cruised to a 25-point triumph over Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers as they stay at least level with Killester depending on results on Sunday. Maisie Burnham scored 20 points for Killarney along with adding nine rebounds and six assists as St. Pauls managed to build a 27-point lead with the final score being 69-44 for Killarney. The loss for the Panthers sees them fall to 2-9 whilst Killarney go to 8-3 and sit in second, level with Killester.
The league-leading sides slipped up on Sunday as Killester suffered an 86-71 loss to UCC Glanmire, who join the chasing pack at just one win off of the leaders. Samantha Haiby was back for Killester after featuring in the cup last weekend, but her 26 points wasn't enough as the lead changed hands three times in the first quarter, but after that, there wasn't a single lead change with Glanmire racing into a 21-point lead in the second half. The duo for Glanmire of Jewel Watkins and Viane Cumber combined with 52 of Glanmire's 86 points, with Cumber also grabbing 14 boards. Killester remain top of the table, joint with Killarney, but the win for Glanmire means there is three teams now that are just one win off of Killester.
Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell also slipped up on Sunday as they suffered their fourth defeat of the season with a 67-75 loss to McEvoy's Cavan Eagles. The promoted side had two double-double performances with Mazatkan Harris scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 boards and Soleil Barnes scoring 12 points and getting 10 rebounds. In one of the tighter games of the weekend, there was 12 changes of the lead throughout the game, wiht neither side taking a double digit lead. Brunell took a six-point lead into the final quarter of the game, but a 21-7 fourth for Cavan gave them their fifth win of the season, as they occupy the final playoff spot currently. the loss for Brunell sees them fall to 7-4, but they remain in third in the table.
Results
Domino’s Men’s Super League
Saturday 10th December
Belfast Star 95-79 Energywise Ireland Neptune
Limerick Celtics 114-103 EJ Sligo All-Stars
UCD Marian 83-85 Garvey’s Tralee Warriors
Griffith College Éanna 76-82 Killester
Flexachem KCYMS 74-88 UCC Demons
St. Vincent’s 86-85 Ballincollig
Domino’s Men’s Division One
Saturday 10th December
Ulster University 73-91 Moy Tolka Rovers
Dublin Lions 84-47 Team Northwest
Titans BC 72-74 SPK Utility Trust Lakers
Limerick Sport Eagles 91-51 Tipp Talons
Drogheda Wolves 98-72 Malahide
Killarney Cougars 49-81 Maigh Cuilinn
Carrick Cruisers 86-77 Templeogue
Domino's Women's Super League
Saturday 10th January
Utility Trust St. Pauls Killarney 69-44 Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers
Trinity Meteors 78-59 Catalyst Fr.Mathews
FloMAX Liffey Celtics 90-85 SETU Waterford Wildcats
Sunday 11th January
UCC Glanmire 86-71 Killester
Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell 67-75 McEvoy's Cavan Eagles
Domino's Women's Division One
Saturday 10th December
Abbey Seals Dublin Lions 58-95 Swords Thunder
Limerick Celtics 99-61 Cleveland Rockets
Dublin Raiders 59-64 University of Galway Mystics
Clunetech Kilkenny Stars 34-70 Limerick Sport Huskies
Moy Tolka Rovers 80-94 Templeogue
