UCC Demons, Belfast Star, 11890 Killester, UL Eagles and DCU Saints were amongst those celebrating in the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague this weekend.
UCC Demons celebrated a 82-78 Cork derby success against the might of Bord Gáis Neptune in front of a packed house Friday night in the Mardyke Arena.
Scoreboard leads were short lived as the derby saw both sides trade baskets throughout the game. A single basket separated the teams at halftime but it was UCC Demons who began to widen the gap led by Shane Coughlan who netted five of his 14 points in the second half.
In the final quarter, Neptune rallied back with USA stand out Michael Bonaparte slashing to the basket to close the gap to two points but he was forced to leave the game with five fouls and 23 points.
In the closing seconds, UCC Demons’ Shane Coughlan exploded for a breakaway lay up to build a four-point gap that Neptune could not return.
The Demon’s victory gives Paul Kelleher his first derby win as a head coach.
‘This was a tremendous game of basketball. Both teams played great and it was tough on both ends of the court,’ said Kelleher.
‘It’s very important to me to win this game as we have worked hard all year and I have learned a lot from the past coaches in order to be victorious in the derby.’
‘We have some really good talent this year and we have to build on this win and go from here and get better.’
Neptune’s head coach Pat Price sited foul trouble and rebounding as the culprits for the defeat.
‘We got into foul trouble too early and too often which took the edge off our defence and curtailed our aggressiveness,’ said Price.
‘Missing three out of your five starters to foul trouble in the closing seconds is not something you want to happen in such a tight game.
‘We also got out-rebounded in almost every position on the floor which meant that Demons got more opportunities”.’
Belfast Star celebrated their first win of the season in Dublin against UCD Marian 85-75.
Star’s USA player Clayton Longmire netted an impressive 32 points and was supported by teammates Stephen Dawson and Scott Summersgill who combined for 28 points to give the northern club its first success.
UCD Marian were leading at half time with American James Crowder contributing 27 points but a deeper bench for Belfast Star proved too much for the Dublin side.
‘We played amazing defence in the second half and it feels so good to win,’ said Star head coach Danny Fulton.
‘We got all ten players out onto the court and everyone contributed. Even with being so young, everyone did their job and we are excited about the win.’
UL Eagles enjoyed a comfortable 85-55 win against Moycullen today in the UL Arena.
Eagles’ Cameron Mitchell scored 22 points to help the Limerick side return to winning ways as they prepared for next weekend’s cup match against Bord Gáis Neptune.
‘It was important for us to get back to winning ways,’ said UL head coach Mark Bernsen.
‘While it was a comfortable win, it is imperative for us to concentrate and work on improving our skills for our Cup game.’
11890 Killester retained their 100% record with their sixth win of the season against Ulster Elks 84-69.
Ulster Elks’ player Ben De La Cruz netted 19 points but it wasn’t enough to give the northern side the victory as Killester’s defence stood strong.
Killester’s Jermaine Turner supplied 25 points for the Dublin side and head coach Mark Keenan stressed that his team wasn’t losing focus anytime soon.
‘We really wore them down in the second half,’ said Keenan. ‘The team is very determined this year and we are reminding everyone constantly not to be complacent.
‘We have a cup game looming and every game is needed to ensure that we go back to the finals.’
Meanwhile, on Saturday DCU Saints won their second game in a row at the expense of Moycullen with a 80-66 scoreline in Galway.
Despite missing two key scorers in Eoin Quill and Martin Provizors, DCU Saints still led by seven points at half time. Moycullen stand out Michael Dowd contributed 14 points in the outfit but it wasn’t enough for the home team to surpass the Dublin side.
‘We are very happy with the win. Moycullen played well and we were missing some people, so any kind of win is great,’ said Saints head coach Vinny O’Keefe.
He continued, ‘Mike Trimmer did great on the rebounds and everyone chipped in either offensively or defensively so it was a great team effort.’
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
In the IrishSport.tv Women’s SuperLeague League, champions Team Montenotte Hotel Cork surged past DCU Mercy, UL celebrated their first game of the season with a victory and Oblate Black Forge Dynamos cruised to their second win over Waterford.
On Sunday, reigning League champions Team Montenotte Hotel Cork surged past Cup champions DCU Mercy 81-64.
The Cork side led by as much as 13 points at half time but DCU managed to rally back to within five points by the end of the third quarter.
However, the Montenotte defence held strong for the final quarter and head coach Mark Scannell attributes the victory to veterans Grainne Dwyer and Marie Breen’s 50-point contribution.
‘We had a lot of people contribute in different ways but it was the experience of Marie and Grainne who set the tone for the win. They played at another level tonight,’ said Scannell.
‘Our defence was incredibly strong and we showed that we will never go down without a fight – especially in a home-game situation.’
On Saturday, UL’s first game of the season began with success and Oblate Dynamos cruised to their second win at the expense of Waterford Wildcats.
Despite being without veteran Rachel Vanderwal due to an ankle injury, UL enjoyed a 50-point victory against Meteors 91-41.
UL head coach James Weldon credited the post play and long pre-season for the victory.
‘The girls were just anxious to get out on the floor after a long 12 weeks of pre-season,’ said Weldon.
‘We played well as a team today but our posts did exceptional. The guards got them the ball and the post players were able to finish strong and get the easy points.
‘To have your three tallest players be the top scorers of the game says a lot and I thought the girls did very well in sharing the ball and getting points on the board.’
Oblate Black Forge Dynamos cruised to their second win of the season against Waterford Wildcats by 72-58.
The Dublin side took control of the game in the second half after Waterford brought the scoreline to six points by halftime. Dynamos guard, Gina McKenna, and post player Lynn McLoughlin shouldered the scoring responsibility by combining for 30 points.
Irish International and Waterford player Christine O’Gorman attempted to rally her side by contributing 15 points in the contest but experience from the Dublin side prevailed.
‘While I am not happy with how we played, we won because we were more experienced,’ said Dynamos head coach Greg Petrovic.
‘There were some things we did well but it was bad to give up 58 points. However a win is a win and I believe expectations are going to be raised for us and we need to match them.’
