GLENEAGLE Lakers dragged themselves back from a mid-season crisis to claim second place in the ESB SuperLeague and earn a home draw against Hibernian UCD Marian in next week’s play-offs.

A WIN for Gleneagle Lakers over Dart Killester on Saturday, a shock defeat for champions Neptune at Shamrock Rovers and an unexpected drubbing for double-chasing Mardyke UCC Demons at the hands of St Vincent's yesterday has added a new edge to the ESB SuperLeague.

Hibernian UCD Marian may have found the form they enjoyed earlier this season following a big 85-69 victory over Dart Killester on Saturday night.

Drimnagh Dynamos 54 Vienna Woods Glanmire 44

MARDYKE UCC Demons are rated as one of the best junior teams ever to come out of Cork and if they cross paths with either the defending champions, Shamrock Rovers, or Dart Killester in the final of the ESB Men’s Junior Cup at the ESB Arena tomorrow night, then they could provide the game of the weekend.

The wait is almost over for the 14 teams who will compete in the National Cup finals this weekend.

Today's basketball results.

The ESB Senior Men’s and Women’s National Cup, will be reduced to four semi-finalists after the weekend, with eight men’s and eight women’s teams to battle it out for a place in the coveted finals weekend.

Dart Killester came back from a 20-point deficit earlier this week to defeat MDS Star 79-72, but face another tough challenge when they travel to Neptune this weekend.

Gleneagle Lakers recorded their first Cup victory in seven years, putting in a huge performance to defeat Shamrock Rovers 103-77 and booking their place in the quarter-finals round.

Table toppers, Horan’s Health Stores Tigers, face a tough assignment in their opening game in the ESB National Cup when they host the SuperLeague champions, Neptune, at the Tralee Sports Centre on the weekend of December 5-7.

UNIVERSITY of Limerick, last season’s team of the season, will launch a defence of their ESB women’s Superleague title tomorrow night with a home game against Scruffy’s St Paul’s.

The ESB women's Superleague gets underway this weekend, with eight teams participating for the 2004 title.

NEITHER University of Limerick nor Bausch & Lomb Wildcats want to wear the favourites tag going into the ESB Cup final weekend. But, even in advance of tonight’s semi-finals, it is fairly safe to predict that one of them will emerge with the title.