DART Killester inflicted a second defeat on Hoops in the space of a week in the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague, while Neptune suffered overtime heartbreak at the hands of rivals UCC Demons in Sunday’s only clash.
Abrakebabra Tigers came out on top in the Kingdom derby meeting with Mustang St Paul’s, while DCU Saints got 2008 off to a fine start with a win away to UU.
UCD/Marian suffered a slender four defeat at home to Belfast Star with Merry Monk Ballina ending a poor run of form at the expense of Limerick Lions.
UCC Demons inflicted their third defeat on Neptune this season with overtime required to win this latest contest.
Neptune were agonisingly close to claiming the Cork derby when they went four ahead with just 58 seconds remaining on the clock but Demons refused to lie down and reduced the deficit to just a solitary point with 18 seconds left.
Niall Murphy converted one from two free throws to restore parity in this dramatic contest.
The game was tied in the opening stages of overtime on 84 each before Levi Levine sunk two free throws to leave Demons with a two point advantage.
It was Demons who were to hold their nerve and secure their third derby win of the season in this enthralling contest played before a huge crowd at Neptune Stadium.
DART Killester secured their ninth win in a row on Saturday night against a Hoops side they will face for the third time next weekend when they meet in the semi final stages of the National Cup.
Mark Keenan's Killester side managed to secure the win on a margin of 15 points despite having to prepare for the game without the experienced duo of Arnoud Dahi and John Behan.
DART eased past Hoops on Wednesday before recording this latest win courtesy of the scoring of Paddy Kelly (27 points), Michael Goj (26 points) and Michael Bonarparte (22 points). Hoops' new signing Taylor Lay contributed 19 points for the visitor's while Irish international Ian O'Boyle struck 13 points.
DCU Saints put a disappointing end to 2007 to open 2008 on a brighter note with a 92-85 success over UU at the Valley Leisure Centre.
The Saints held a 51-44 advantage at the interval but almost lost a big lead in the closing stages to hand the impetus back to Deidre Breenan’s UU side.
Joey Boylan’s Saints looked to be coasting when they extended their lead to 14 points with four minutes to go but UU fought back to reduce the deficit to just two points with two minutes left on the clock.
However, DCU managed to hold their composure to win out by seven points and get their play-off hopes back on track.
Abrakebabra Tigers prepared for their trip to the capital next weekend by claiming an 87-72 success in the All-Kerry affair with Mustang St Paul’s.
The Conference B leaders managed to achieve the feat despite the absence of star duo Kieran Donaghy and Michael Quirke.
Mustang St Paul’s, who were on the back of four successive victories, were always playing catch up and trailed by 11 points at the interval.
Tigers had Chris Jordon and Paris Katsimpas in good form with a combined points total of 46 points, while Justin Wingaard and Nick Covington shone for Mustang St Paul’s.
Merry Monk Ballina finally put a halt to their losing sequence with a comprehensive 95-76 win over Limerick Lions at the UL Arena.
The Lions had already secured two wins over Ballina this season but the Westeners ensured it wasn’t going to happen for the third time.
UCD/Marian’s preparations for their first National Cup semi final in over 20 years suffered a blip on Saturday with a 93-89 defeat at home to Belfast Star.
Star held a 24-20 advantage at the end of the first period with left handed player Matthew Clements proving to be a handful for the home side.
A three pointer from David Ryan and a two from James Clement swung the pendulum in Marian’s favour to leave Cormac Connor’s side with a slender 42-41 lead at the interval.
However, Star reclaimed the lead in the third 68-64 to se-up a tense final quarter. The visitor’s got off to a great start through Stephen Dawson before Clement hit another three pointer to leave the sides tied at 76-76. Dawson was proving a constant thorn in UCD/Marian’s side and hit a long range two to leave Star 81-76 ahead.
James Clement then hit a 4 point play to cut the lead to 1 point. Morrow and Clements made their shots from the line as Star bravely held on 93-89.
In Basketball Ireland’s Womens SuperLeague, DCU Mercy produced a fine display to see off fellow title chasers UL Aughinish 58-48 at the DCU Sports Complex.
Team Montenotte Hotel Cork’s superb run continues after they recorded their 12th straight win with a 83-52 win over Meteors, while Waterford Wildcats proved too strong for DART Killester.
DCU Mercy and UL Aughinish produced a gripping clash on Sunday with the home side putting in one of their finest performances this season.
Mark Ingle’s DCU side were ahead by just a point at the interval before powerful displays in the third and fourth quarter resulted in a 10 point victory.
Irish international Lyndsey Peat was in excellent form with 28 points while Ann Marie Healy also played a big part in the win with 12 points.
Michelle Fahy, Denise Walsh, Jennifer Strong and Niamh Dwyer were all off the mark in the first couple of minutes with Team Montenotte Hotel Cork hitting eleven points before Meteors registered their first score. The first quarter ended with Glanmire holding an 18 point lead and they had increased this to 28 (49 – 21) at the half way mark.
Meteors, who have some very talented young players, never stopped trying but with the home side defense keeping Leah Truncale very quiet, they were never seriously going to push the Montenotte Hotel team.
