Garvey’s Tralee Warriors lost to EJ Sligo All Stars in the InsureMyVan.ie Men’s Super League.
It ended 102-101 after over time.
An and-one effort from Rap Buivydas looked like giving the Warriors the win with just one second left on the clock in overtime. However the officials added another one second, allowing Sligo to get the ball back in play. Christian Williams had time to receive the ball, get fouled and shoot two clutch free throws to seal the unlikely win. All three teams at the top of the South Conference were all on the receiving end of defeats so the run to the playoffs is as you were heading into next weekend's fixtures.
In an entertaining opening quarter the sides went score for score after Eoin Quigley had fired in the first basket of the night and Shon Briggs replied in kind. A Giorgi Tvalabashvili dunk gave the hosts a 10-6 lead but Daniel Jokubaitis cut the gap with a signature three before Christian Williams struck back with a double from distance to push Sligo ahead by 5. However the Warriors squared the game when Quigley arced in a major score and Jarvis Doles added his name to the scoresheet to level at 20-20 at quarter time.
The second quarter sparked into life with an early exchange of threes from Quigley and Oisin O’Reilly but a minute later O’Reilly struck again and a basket from Williams saw the hosts lead 28-24. The Warriors response was immediate and decisive as they launched a stunning 15 point volley to quickly build a double digit lead. Doles, Buivydas, Kieran Donaghy and Caleb Jordan were all in range as the visitors pushed ahead. Sligo hit back with two threes from O’Reilly and another from Briggs to cut the lead to 46-41 but Quigley’s third three and two from two from the line from Doles gave the Warriors a 52-44 lead at half time.
The third quarter belonged to Sligo as they embarked on a devastating offensive run to turn the game around. The hosts scored at will through Williams, Briggs, Tvalabashvili and when O’Reilly fired down his fourth three of the night seven minutes into the quarter the Warriors had yet to add to their halftime tally and trailed by 64-52. Rap Buivydas fired the visitors right back into the contest with scores from inside, outside and the line before another Jokubaitis major left just 4 between the sides with 1’00’’ on the clock. However Sligo would have the final say in the quarter with O’Reilly knocking down his fifth three and a score apiece from Briggs and Tvalabashvili had Sligo leading 74-64 at the end of the third.
The Warriors hit an unanswered 10 points early in the fourth with Quigley, Cian Sullivan, Jordan, Donaghy and Doles combining to level the game again at 74-74 and despite another Doles effort from distance, Tom Child, Williams and Briggs were all in range to edge the hosts 84-79 ahead. Jokubaitis added a quick fire five points to draw level again and threes from Child for Sligo and Buivydas for the Warriors kept the sides deadlocked with less than a minute to play. Shon Briggs looked like he would be the game winner for Sligo when he fired in from inside and one from two from the line to put the hosts 90-87 up. However in the final second of the game Daniel Jokubaitis unleashed a stunning three point effort to push the contest into over-time.
The sides went toe to toe in the additional five minutes after Williams broke the deadlock and an exchange of threes from the sharpshooting Jokubaitis and O’Reilly continued the stalemate inside the final minute. Williams shot the hosts ahead from the line before Doles converted a technical foul free throw to cut the Sligo advantage to a single score. Rap Buivydas stepped up to fire the Warriors into what appeared to be a winning lead with another and-one score with one second on the clock. However the officials decided there would be an additional second to play and that was enough time for Williams to receive the ball and take the foul before converting both free throws to give Sligo a 102-101 win in the most dramatic of circumstances.
EJ Sligo AllStars: Chrishon Briggs 31, Christian Williams 29, Oisin O’Reilly 21
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Rap Buivydas 23, Daniel Jokubaitis 19, Jarvis Doles 19,
Next up for the Warriors is a trip to the MTU Arena in Bishopstown to take on Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig next weekend in a repeat of the Pat Duffy National Cup semi-final. The Cork side edged that encounter but this time the stakes are equally high with three priceless League points on offer with both teams looking for home advantage in the League playoffs. Tip off at the MTU Arena in Cork next Saturday is 4.00pm.
Flexachem KCYMS overcame southern conference leaders Maree on the scoreline of 99-91.
Top scorers for Killorglin
K. Jacks 30
L. McGregor 22
T.Winn 18
Next up the team have 3 home games in a row where they will hope to build on last night's result. Neptune come to Killorglin next Saturday night with a 7.15 tip-off.
In the Men’s National League Killarney Cougars went down 101-87 to Limerick Celtics. Aoife Grace reports
Top scorers
Killarney Cougars
Martin Hill 34
Darius Hopkins 27
Jack Lynch 10
Andrew Fitzgerald 7
Limerick Celtics
Dakquan Davis 38
Andrew Whistett 32
Eoghan Donaghy 14
Miles Felletti ODonnell 12
Utility Trust St Pauls Killarney defeated Moy Tolka Rovers 64-55 in the MissQuote.ie Women’s National League. Enda Walshe reports
Full weekend review:
The Address UCC Glanmire dealt another huge blow to Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell’s bid for MissQuote.ie Super League success after they fought back from seven points down in the fourth quarter to win out 79-69 on Sunday afternoon, while, only the day before, the leading three teams in the InsureMyVan.ie Super League South Conference, Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU, Maree and Garvey’s Tralee Warriors all suffered reversals.
The Address UCC Glanmire held Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell to just eight points in the final quarter, while they put up 23 in the same period on their way to a 79-69 victory over the joint MissQuote.ie Super League leaders in the Gurranabraher Credit Union Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Just as they had done the previous week away to Ulster University, Brunell coughed up a significant lead down the stretch against last season’s champions, despite Jayla Johnson putting up 28 points for them in this encounter.
Glanmire emerged from this Cork derby with five players in double figures, among them Cheah Whitsitt, who bagged 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Amy Dooley hit 14 points and mopped up 12 loose balls under the boards.
“In the first half we struggled both offensively and defensively” said Ronan O’Sullivan who took charge of Glanmire in the absence of head coach, Mark Scannell.
“Brunell really hurt us on the boards, but at half time we made a few adjustments. Our defence became a lot better and, as a result, we had a better flow on offence. Each one of the players put in a huge effort to try and get the win today” he smiled.
Pyrobel Killester returned home from St Mary’s Hall with a 76-56 victory over Portlaoise Panthers that keeps them very much in the reckoning for top-flight honours this season.
Jiselle Thomas top-scored on 28 points, while Claire Melia and Keowa Walters delivered a combined 37 along with 21 rebounds for the Dubliners.
SETU Waterford Wildcats lost more ground on the top three after they shipped a 94-81 defeat against the in-form Ulster University in Jordanstown Sports Village.
The travelling party trailed Ulster by 11 at the close of the first quarter and, with Delia Moore and Trinity Oliver totalling 45 points and 23 rebounds between them, the hosts held firm to make it four wins on the bounce.
Even Brynley Fitzgerald’s 27 points and 15 rebounds was not enough to prevent DCU Mercy from slipping to a 76-64 loss at Catalyst Fr. Mathews.
Shannon Brady and Ariel Johnson combined for 46 points while Grainne Dwyer weighed in with an additional 19 and 13 rebounds for the Cork side.
A disappointing first half in which they put up only 23 points saw University of Galway Mystics ultimately undone 83-70 by Trinity Meteors in Claregalway Secondary School.
Sarah Kenny, Grace Prenter and Yvette Adriaans each netted 17 points to help counter the combined 54 that Emma Glavin, Shannon Cunningham and Kara McCleane put up for Galway.
Three weeks on after they broke the hearts of Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU in the InsureMyHouse.ie Pat Duffy National Cup Final, UCC Demons left their Cork rivals nursing more wounds on the divisional front after they dished them out a 91-72 defeat in the MTU Arena on Saturday evening.
Tala Fam Thiam hit 22 points while James Hannigan and Seventh Woods each chalked up 21 as the visitors recorded a strong start and finish to this fixture, despite the best efforts of Ballincollig’s Andre Nation and Shawndale Jones Jr who combined for 44.
“Today for us was all about the performance and I felt we delivered on that” said UCC Demons head coach, Daniel O’Mahony.
“I was very proud of my guys, but we need to knuckle down now and prepare for next week which will be another tough test [against Maree]" he warned.
Maree were unable to capitalise on that setback for Ballincollig as they, themselves, suffered a 98-91 defeat at the hands of Flexachem KCYMS in Calasanctus College.
Even a huge 38-point haul by Tahmir Gadsden, who converted half of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc, was not enough to inspire Maree to victory, as Flexachem’s Kendall Jacks put up 30 while Lucas McGregor and Lovre Tvrdic, together, totalled 43.
Christian Williams held his nerve to drain two free throws at the death and clinch a dramatic 102-101 overtime victory for EJ Sligo All-Stars over Garvey’s Tralee Warriors in Mercy College.
Williams, who amassed 29 points and 14 rebounds, was instrumental in this victory for Sligo, as was top scorer, Chrishon Briggs who accounted for 31 on the night.
Griffith College Éanna earned the bragging rights in their derby against near neighbours, Templeogue as they enjoyed a comprehensive 99-70 win in Coláiste Éanna.
Sean Jenkins served up 25 points for the homeside, who had opened up a gap of 24 by the half-time recess, and even a 28-point contribution by Vernon Jackson could not illuminate a way back for Templeogue.
Runaway North Conference leaders, Belfast Star put up 31 points in the first quarter alone as they recorded a 97-77 victory over Ulster University in Newforge Sports Complex, Tamyrik Fields top-scoring with 25.
A huge second quarter, in which they amassed 40 points and outscored their opponents, Bright St. Vincent’s by 24, went a long way to seeing Pyrobel Killester storm to a 104-84 triumph in St Vincent’s CBS.
Kason Harrell served up another big display for the visitors with 38 points, while Gregorio Encarnacion mopped up 18 rebounds to help Killester emerge tops from this Dublin derby.
Energywise Ireland Neptune recovered from a slow start to record a 70-60 victory on the road against Maigh Cuilinn on Sunday.
Big second and third quarter surges saw the visitors take control as Jordan Blount and Nil Sabata combined for 31 points.
In the InsureMyVan.ie Division One, North Conference leaders, Drogheda Wolves recorded an 86-80 win on the road over Joels Dublin Lions. Kavanagh’s Portlaoise Panthers secured a play-off berth after they saw off Team NorthWest 74-65. UCD Marian won out 88-71 away to Mater Private Malahide while Moy Tolka Rovers finished strongly to beat Limerick Sport Eagles 94-86 in UL Arena. SETU Carlow and Limerick Celtics remain deadlocked at the summit of the South Conference after the former accounted for Titans BC (101-77) in Barrow Centre before Limerick saw off Killarney Cougars 101-87 in Presentation Gym. Scotts Lakers Killarney edged a 77-73 victory over SETU Waterford Vikings in Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre.
In the MissQuote.ie Division One, iSecure Swords Thunder moved to within one game of the North Conference title after they beat Oblate Dynamos 86-73 in ALSAA before their closest challengers Templeogue chalked up a 79-70 victory over Phoenix Rockets in the National Basketball Arena. South Conference winners, St Paul’s Killarney beat Moy Tolka Rovers 64-55 in Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre, while Limerick Celtics took the inside track in the race for second place in this group after they beat neighbouring rivals, Limerick Sport Huskies 84-56 in Crescent College. McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles earned an 88-74 win over Abbey Seals Dublin Lions in the Virgina Show Centre and SETU Carlow picked up only their second win of the season when they surmounted fellow strugglers Marble City Hawks 93-79 in O’Loughlin Gaels GAA Club.
Results
InsureMyVan.ie Super League
Saturday February 10th
Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU 72 - 91 UCC Demons
Belfast Star 97 - 77 Ulster University
Griffith College Éanna 99 - 70 Templeogue
Maree 91 - 98 Flexachem KCYMS
Bright St. Vincent’s 84 - 104 Pyrobel Killester
EJ Sligo All-Stars 102 - 101 Garvey’s Tralee Warriors
Sunday February 11th
Maigh Cuilinn 60 - 70 Energywise Ireland Neptune
Miss Quote.ie Super League
Saturday February 10th
University of Galway Mystics 70 - 83 Trinity Meteors
Catalyst Fr. Mathews 76 - 64 DCU Mercy
Ulster University 94 - 81 SETU Waterford Wildcats
Portlaoise Panthers 56 - 76 Pyrobel Killester
Sunday February 11th
Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell 69 - 79 The Address UCC Glanmire
InsureMyVan.ie Division One
Saturday February 10th
SETU Carlow 101 - 77 Titans BC
Scotts Lakers Killarney 77 - 73 SETU Waterford Vikings
Team NorthWest 65 - 74 Kavanagh’s Portlaoise Panthers
Joels Dublin Lions 80 - 86 Drogheda Wolves
Mater Private Malahide 71 - 88 UCD Marian
Killarney Cougars 87 - 101 Limerick Celtics
Limerick Sport Eagles 86 - 94 Moy Tolka Rovers
MissQuote.ie Division One
Saturday February 10th
McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles 88 - 74 Abbey Seals Dublin Lions
iSecure Swords Thunder 86 - 73 Oblate Dynamos
Templeogue 79 - 70 Phoenix Rockets
Marble City Hawks 79 - 93 SETU Carlow
St. Paul’s Killarney 64 - 55 Moy Tolka Rovers
Sunday February 11th
Limerick Celtics 84 - 56 Limerick Sport Huskies
Fixtures
InsureMyVan.ie Super League
Saturday February 17th
Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU vs Garvey’s Tralee Warriors, MTU Arena, 1600
Ulster University vs Bright St. Vincent’s, Jordanstown Sports Village, 1715
Templeogue vs Belfast Star, National Basketball Arena, 1900
Maree vs UCC Demons, Kingfisher Arena, 1900
Flexachem KCYMS vs Energywise Ireland Neptune, Killorglin Sports Complex, 1915
Pyrobel Killester vs EJ Sligo All-Stars, IWA, 1930
Sunday February 18th
Maigh Cuilinn vs Griffith College Éanna, Kingfisher Sports Arena, 1500
Miss Quote.ie Super League
Saturday February 17th
Pyrobel Killester vs University of Galway Mystics, IWA, 1645
Trinity Meteors vs Ulster University, Coláiste Íosagáin, 1730
Portlaoise Panthers vs Catalyst Fr. Mathews, St Mary’s Hall, 1800
Sunday February 18th
The Address UCC Glanmire vs FloMAX Liffey Celtics, 1430
DCU Mercy vs Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell, DCU Arena, 1430
InsureMyVan.ie Division One
Saturday February 17th
UCD Marian vs Moy Tolka Rovers, UCD Sports Centre, 1900
Limerick Sport Eagles vs Killarney Cougars, UL Arena, 1900
Limerick Celtics vs Titans BC, Crescent College, 1915
Drogheda Wolves vs Mater Private Malahide, Ballymakenny College, 1930
Scotts Lakers Killarney vs Team NorthWest, Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre, 1930
Kavanagh’s Portlaoise Panthers vs Joels Dublin Lions, St Mary’s Hall, 2000
Sunday February 18th
SETU Carlow vs SETU Waterford Vikings, Barrow Centre, 1300
MissQuote.ie Division One
Saturday February 17th
St Paul’s Killarney vs Limerick Sport Huskies, Aura, 1630
Limerick Celtics vs SETU Carlow, Crescent College, 1645
Abbey Seals Dublin Lions vs Phoenix Rockets, Coláiste Bríde, 1730
iSecure Swords Thunder vs McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles, ALSAA, 1730
Moy Tolka Rovers vs Marble City Hawks, Tolka Rovers Sports Complex, 1800
Oblate Dynamos vs Templeogue, Oblate Hall, 1900
