Basketball: C & S UCC Demons unbeaten record in the Men’s Premier league remained intact following a hard earned 88-73 win over Killester at the Mardyke Arena yesterday.

Team Montenotte Hotel 62 Killester 36: Women’s National Cup final: GLANMIRE retained the Women’s National Cup following a comfortable win over Killester at the National Arena on Saturday.

Wherever she goes, it seems he has to follow, writes Kieran Shannon.

During the 2012-3 season her back got worse and worse. All along Marie Breen was thinking it was a muscle issue and pushed on with Team Montenotte, playing through the discomfort.

Back for more punishment, all so that we can all have even more fun and rows, writes Kieran Shannon.

TODAY

The season’s busiest weekend thus far, with quarter-final second-leg games in both Men’s and Women’s Premier National Cups taking place.

The Premier League and Cup champions clash at Clontarf tomorrow, with Killester hosting C&S UCC Demons in the game of the weekend.

The oldest rivalry in Irish basketball will take to the court at the Neptune Stadium tomorrow when BGFNeptune face fellow Cork rivals C&S UCC Demons.

Women’s Superleague National Cup final

UL claimed their first women’s Superleague title in seven years with a comfortable win over holders Team Montenotte at the National Basketball Arena yesterday.

AFTER a period in the doldrums, Bord Gais Neptune find themselves back in familiar territory following their 90-88 semi-final victory over UL Eagles that qualifies them for a showdown with champions, 11890 Killester, in next weekend’s NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague final at headquarters.

BELFAST Start coach Danny Fulton has grown accustomed to shredding the form book.

A DREADFUL run of four defeats in five has left UCD Marian’s Superleague play-off hopes out of their own hands as they prepare for a Dublin derby this weekend against 11890 Killester.

IT MAY have taken three games, but it was worth waiting for as Bord Gais Neptune finally buried the UCC Demons bogey with a 73-62 victory in the NIVEA for MEN Super League before a full house at Neptune Stadium on Saturday night.

EXPECT more fireworks when Bord Gais Neptune and UCC Demons meet in the Cork SuperLeague local derby at Neptune Stadium tomorrow night.

REVENGE will be in the air at the IWA Centre, Clontarf tomorrow as Cup champions UCD Marian face defeated finalists 11890 Killester in the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague.

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

DEFENDING champions, DCU Mercy, and last year’s beaten finalists, Team Montenotte Hotel from Cork, will once more face off for theWomen’s SuperLeague National Cup title in a fortnight.

11890 Killester are the only unbeaten side in the NIVEA For MEN SuperLeague after a 93-81 win over UL Eagles at Clontarf on Saturday night.

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

WHEN Team Montenotte Hotel Cork failed in their bid for a fourth national cup title last season only one of the players, Amy Stewart, was in line for a fourth national cup medal.

WHEN Montenotte Hotel Cork and DCU Mercy clash in the final of the Women’s Superleague National Cup on Sunday week, fans will be hoping for another classic. Last year’s semi-final went to double overtime before the champions came out on top, winning a third successive cup title.

DEFENDING champions, UCC Demons, had to come from behind to defeat UCD/Marian and keep their early season record intact as the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague as UL Eagles beat the other Cork team, Neptune for a third successive win.

NEW coach Pat Price will be hoping for an improved performance before the home fans when Neptune take on UL Eagles tomorrow night (8pm).

A miserable Bank Holiday for Abrakebabra Tigers continued on Monday as they slumped to an 81-67 defeat away to Limerick Lions.

KIERAN DONAGHY had his first full training session with defending champions Abrakebabra Tigers in Tralee on Tuesday but coach Mark Bernsen does not expect him to play a part in their opening Nivea for Men Superleague game at home to UCD Marian on Saturday night.

UCC DEMONS notched up their most significant NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague win of the season when they beat Merry Monk Ballina 83-101 in their own backyard on the eve of the quarter finals of the National Cup.

Abrakebabra Tigers have claimed victory in the battle of the unbeaten sides with an impressive win away to Dublin giants DCU Saints on Saturday night.

Ireland continued their preparations for their European opener against Norway on Saturday with a 41 - 56 defeat to a powerful Portugal outfit at the National Basketball Arena tonight.

Ireland 73 Luxembourg 29

ABRAKEBABRA TIGERS will renew rivalry with St. Vincent’s in the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague clash at Tralee tomorrow night but they will be without Micheál Quirke who was the star when they beat the Dubliners in a thrilling cup semi-final a month ago.

BOTH Kieran Donaghy and Micheál Quirke have told Tralee Tigers’ coach Dave Falvey that they will be concentrating on football with the Kerry team and will not be available for the remainder of the hoops season.

Montenotte Hotel, Cork 89 UL Aughinish 75

Team Montenotte Hotel Cork have defeated UL Aughinish 89-75 in a pulsating final in the National Basketball Arena to claim the Women's Superleague National Cup.

BEFORE the semi-finals two weeks ago, few would have predicted Team Montenotte Hotel from Glanmire would challenge UL Aughinish for the national cup title.

REIGNING champions UCC Demons and challengers Abrakebabra Tigers sharpened the competitive edge in advance of next Sunday’s National Cup final with solid NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague victories over the weekend.

DEFENDING champions, UL Aughinish, are back in the final of the women’s cup after a comprehensive 84-62 victory over Bausch & Lomb Wildcats.

LIMERICK LIONS face their most important weekend in the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague with do or die games against Abrakebabra Tigers in Tralee tomorrow night and UCD at the UL Arena on Sunday afternoon.

FOR three seasons UL Aughinish have ruled Irish women’s basketball with an iron fist. For that reason they remain hot favourites tonight as their defence of the National Cup gets underway against Vienna Woods Glanmire at the ESB Arena.

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.