Langrell shines as Neptune beat Demons
Demons might have had inspiration from their new signing but they needed more than inspiration as Neptune settled into their confident game.
Ever-reliable Gordon Fitzgerald gave them an early lead from the free throw line and when Charron Watson tacked on the first of 11 baskets they were never threatened.
Watson dominated the early exchanges under the boards and while the new arrival raised the roof with some exciting slam dunking the game drifted away from a lacklustre home side. To add to their woes Shane McCarthy hit them with two big three pointers and at the end of the first quarter Neptune led by six points, 24-18.
Watson and McCarthy reinforced the advantage on the resumption but the pace dropped, Demons came back into the game, and they set about building on two three-pointers from an out of sorts Shane Coughlan.
At half time it was a two-point game, 35-37.
Watson got the second half off with two quick baskets and suddenly Neptune were six points clear once again.
Throughout the first half David Langrell was busily brushing up the debris and not alone did he resume this important role in the second but began a series of offensive forays that would eventually yield him a game total of 18 points.
Add 14 rebounds to this and it becomes clear the contribution he made to the game. In fact, it was one of his best performances to date and earned him the Foreign Player Award with the Irish Player Award going to team-mate, Gordon Fitzgerald.
The final quarter saw almost total dominance by the visitors with Kenny Gamble storming into the picture with a grand total of 18 points from the second half to equal the 22-point game high totalled by his compatriot, Charron Watson.
All round, it was a good night for Gerry Fitzgerald’s side. A derby win is always a big win and it became blatantly obvious that Pat Price, who went into the game with full points from their two earlier games, will have some soul-searching to do in advance of their next game though he may be happy to put this down to a jittery performance by a side that never settled.
But he will draw consolation from the performance by Alai Nuualiitia who showed flashes of brilliance.
Clearly both himself and the team as a whole will improve as a result of a period of integration. He was certainly up against it last night going into what was a high-pressure derby tie.
Top scorers for Neptune were Kenny Gamble and Charron Watson on 22 points apiece and David Langrell on 18.
For Mardyke UCC Demons Alai Nuyualiitia top scored with 18 points with Torrey Butler, despite the dominance of Langrell ending up with 14 and Shane Coughlan on 11.
