UL Eagles will have to wait for another chance to be crowned Southern Conference Regular season champions after been stunned by Ulster Elks, while HOOPS surprised UCC Demons for the second time this season.
Killester took another giant step towards the Northern Conference title after victory over UCD/Marian with Neptune and DCU Saints also signaling their intent with wins over Belfast Star and Moycullen respectively.
On Sunday, Demons regained second spot in the Southern Conference with a comfortable win away to Moycullen.
UL’s hopes of confirming their status as Southern Conference regular season champions this weekend were dashed by Ulster Elks in overtime on a scoreline of 91-89.
In a pulsating contest, the Elks managed to bring the contest into extra-time courtesy of great endeavour from Dave Neal.
With just 14 seconds remaining, the Elks were trailing by three but Neal converted one of two free throws to reduce that margin.
The Elks applied full court pressure and with eight seconds left Neal was fouled and he duly obliged to convert his two free throws to leave the score 79-79 at the end of normal time.
In a tense overtime period, Paul Cummins proved the hero with a lay-up in the closing moments to send the much beleaguered home support this season into raptures.
Elks Head Coach Deirdre Brennan was thrilled with the win:
‘It has been a rough journey, they are learning that if they play as a team they can beat the best in the country.
‘Dave Neal did a fantastic job on Stuart Robbins but it would be unfair to single out anyone because this was a complete team performance.
‘UL played some superb basketball but I am so proud of how the players managed to bring the game into overtime and then seal the deal in the extra period.
‘We were disappointed to lose to UCC Demons last weekend but a lot of our results have been narrow losses and do not tell the full story.
‘Everything came together against UL and now we are only the second team along with Killester to have beaten them this season.
HOOPS inflicted more misery on UCC Demons after they completed the double over the Cork side courtesy of a 78-72 success on Saturday night.
Ahmad Smith’s HOOPS looked in control heading into the final quarter but 10 points from Demons’ Carlton Cuff in the final quarter ensured a nervy end at the National Basketball Arena.
However, HOOPS kept their composure in the closing stages with Carlton Aaron, who produced a superb display of rebounding (24 in total), and Jason Goldrick converting from the line to give the Dublin outfit their third win of the season.
‘It was a tough game but the pleasing aspect was that we played well for the full 40 minutes,’ said HOOPS Head Coach Ahmad Smith.
‘We rebounded very well and we cut down on our turnovers which has been a problem for us this season.
‘Too many times during this campaign we have competed for three-quarters but we have shown with wins against the likes of Demons and Killester that we can compete with the best in the league when we maintain our focus.
On Sunday, Demons made up for their disappointment with a 75-57 win away to Moycullen.
Joshua Johnson struck 26 points to give Demons a much needed win and revive their hopes of finishing second in the Southern Conference in advance of the play-offs.
Killester are well on the way to securing the Northern Conference after a commanding 89-64 win over UCD/Marian in front of a full house at the IWA in Clontarf.
The Dubliners did suffer defeat to UCD/Marian earlier in the season but there was no mistake this time around with National Cup hero Jermaine Turner producing another exceptional display with 36 points.
Turner said: ‘It is getting close to play-off time and its important we put in performances like this.
‘The minute the cup was over we turned our focus to the league and we want to prove we are a great side by finishing the season with a treble (National Cup, Northern Conference, League outright).’
Neptune recorded their third consecutive win with a hard fought 90-83 success over a Belfast Star side riding high in the Northern Conference.
Stars Kevin Ratzsch ended another productive night with 38 points, while Juwann James was equally impressive for the Cork giants with a personal tally of 32 points.
Neptune coach Pat Price commented: ‘A lot of credit must go to Star for making this such a tough contest.
‘Kevin Ratzsch was impressive for Star and he is doing a good job for them since he came to the club.
'We are very pleased with this win.
‘We weren’t too happy to giveaway 46 points in the first quarter but we tightened up after the restart.
Our shooting wasn’t at its best but we still managed to get 90 points and it is a good win against a very good side.’
DCU Saints took a step closer to the play-offs on Saturday night with an impressive 87-74 win away to Moycullen.
The win gives the Dubliners a much needed three points particularly with the club on the back of a run which saw them record just one win in their five games prior to Saturday.
‘It was a big win for us as we have been having a tough time getting wins lately,’ said DCU Guard Emmet Donnelly.
‘We are very conscious of the play-off race and it was important to keep the pressure on Star for second spot.
Meanwhile, in a dramatic weekend of IrishSport.TV Womens SuperLeague action, Killester shocked the National Cup champions DCU Mercy, while Team Montenotte Hotel Cork overcame a gutsy Bausch & Lomb Waterford Wildcats.
Elsehwere, UL maintained the pressure on Montenotte with wins over Sligo All Stars and Meteors, while Tolka secured their second win of the season.
Killester stunned the National Cup champions DCU Mercy 59-56 to give their play-off hopes a massive boost on Saturday night.
Killester coach Mark Grennell said: ‘It was an epic game and I am delighted for the team.
‘We played excellent team basketball.
‘We executed our plays on offence and I thought we did a good job switching defences.
‘The fourth quarter was very tense but I am so proud of how resilient the team were particularly towards the end when they managed to hold their nerve.’
