Basketball: Portlaoise Panthers 63 Oblate Dynamos 48: Women’s Senior Cup

Team Montenotte’s unbeaten record in the Women’s Premier League is sure to be tested when they play joint leaders Courtyard Liffey Celtics at Upper Glanmire Sports Centre tomorrow.

Paul Kelleher has experienced the highs and lows of basketball in recent seasons but the UL Eagles coach is confident his new role in Limerick will be a success.

The U20 women’s final will be an all-Cork decider with Glanmire and Singletons Supervalu Brunell competing in what promises to be a cracking encounter.

Basketball Ireland has announced details of the National Cup semi-finals programme for Cork next month.

Changing times on Ireland’s basketball scene. The final four Champions Trophy spots for the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague have been settled and there will be no Killester or UCD Marian in the shake up.

UL Huskies and Team Montenotte Cork will contest the Women’s SuperLeague National Cup final following their impressive wins over WIT Wildcats and DCU Mercy at Neptune Stadium.

There will not be an empty seat tonight at the Neptune Stadium when Bord Gais Neptune and UCC Demons clash in the Men’s SuperLeague National cup semi-final.

There was cup action all around the country this weekend as the cream of the crop in the men’s and women’s senior and U18s battled it out in the quarter-finals.

Belfast Star have withdrawn from the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague.

Bord Gais Neptune ensured second place in the Southern Conference ahead of UL Eagles in the final game of the season.

11890 Killester required over-time before emerging victorious over Bord Gais Neptune by the narrowest of margins, 97-96, in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague clash at the IWA in Clontarf on Saturday evening.

Bord Gáis Neptune kept the pressure on at the top of the Southern Conference with a comfortable victory over UCD Marian.

With both National Cups on display at UL it was back to league action at the weekend as DCU Saints consolidated their top spot in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague Northern Division with a 82-63 win over Belfast Star.

Basketball's Northern Conference leaders DCU Saints travel to Cork on Sunday to play Bord Gais Neptune in the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague.

EVERY sport has a major rivalry, be it Cork-Kerry or Dublin-Meath in Gaelic football or Munster-Leinster in rugby but the Bord Gáis Neptune versus UCC Demons clash in basketball is up there with them (7pm tonight, Neptune Stadium).

NEW signing Robert Taylor would appear to have solved the outstanding problem for UL Eagles’ coach Mark Keenan, who watched him contribute 21 points as they beat Bord Gáis Neptune 76-71 to return to the top of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague Southern Conference.

BORD Gáis Neptune coach Mark Scannell set his side a target of 80 points against defending champions 11890 Killester in yesterday’s Nivea for Men SuperLeague clash at Neptune Stadium and, while they did not achieve that, a close 73-72 victory was more than satisfactory.

UL EAGLES will be bidding to extend their winning run when they face DCU Saints at the UL Arena tomorrow night and then head to Galway on Sunday to play Moycullen.

UL EAGLES, smarting from their loss to UCC Demons last Sunday, will be seeking to get back on the winning trail at the UL Arena tomorrow night when they host 11890 Killester in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague.

TOMORROW night’s Dublin derby at Clontarf has all the ingredients for a thrilling encounter as joint leaders, 11890 Killester, take on Northside rivals, DCU Saints, for control of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague.

UCD Marian got back to winning ways with a tremendous 72-64 win over Belfast Star in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague at Anderstown on Saturday.

THERE were perfect results for new coaches, Darren O’Neill and Mark Scannell, as the reigning NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague champions, 11890 Killester, Bord Gais Neptune, got the new basketball season under way.

Reigning Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague champions 11890 Killester got their defence off to a winning start at home to Belfast Star, while Bord Gais Neptune sent out an early marker with a comprehensive win at home to UL Eagles.

FEW people can be as eager for the 2011-12 Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague to get going this weekend as new UL Eagles coach Mark Keenan.

TEAM MONTENOTTE captain Marie Breen faces a late fitness test ahead of tomorrow’s showdown with holders DCU Mercy.

UL EAGLES cruised to a sixth Superleague win out of seven yesterday, destroying Moycullen with 30 points to spare in Limerick.

UL EAGLES travel to Cork tomorrow for a clash with Bord Gáis Neptune in a crucial Nivea for Men SuperLeague game at the Neptune Stadium (7pm).

BEYOND the confines of women’s or schools basketball, he may not have instant recognition, but there can’t be many coaches who have made a greater contribution to the sport over the last three decades than Jimmy Diggins of Tralee.

The Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague resumes after the drama of last weekend’s National Cup semi-final clashes, where Abrakebabra Tigers and DART Killester booked their place in the men’s final, while Team Montenotte Hotel Cork have a set-up a date with Waterford Wildcats.

DART Killester 91 UCC Demons 92

First up tonight, DART Killester face ROMA St Vincent’s in a crucial tie at the top of the Northern Conference in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague at 9pm.

UCC Demons 113 Gleneagle Lakers 120

NEW coach Michael Evans will measure Neptune’s progress when they tip off a big weekend for Cork in tonight’s home game against Limerick Lions.

Roma St Vincents 85 Neptune 90

UCC DEMONS obviously aren’t ones for the spirit of Christmas goodwill.

ABRAKEBABRA TIGERS released their second American during the week, so Joe Quirke will be banking on his Irish players when the club host UCC Demons in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague this weekend.

PATRICK POPE, winner of a Nivea for Men SuperLeague medal with UCC Demons last season, appears to have come to the rescue of Merry Monk Ballina, judging by his performance against Shamrock Hoops on Saturday night.

TRALEE TIGERS are determined to build on their confidence-boosting victory in Limerick last Monday when they travel to UCD tomorrow in week four of basketball’s NIVEA for Men SuperLeague.