Lakers recover from league crisis but champions Neptune bow out
Neptune, the defending champions, bowed out after losing to bottom of the table Waterford Crystal.
Mardyke UCC Demons, in pursuit of the coveted cup/league double slipped below Lakers as a result of their loss to Horan’s Health Store Tigers. Now they face a trip to Jordanstown at the weekend to play MDS Star for a place in the All-Ireland League Finals weekend at the Mardyke Arena.
Tigers have gone from strength to strength and could be potential champions but their neighbours, Lakers, have to be regarded as the new favourites and a team that will be difficult to beat.
On Saturday night in Limerick against BurgerKing, they were spectacular in their 125-98 victory and they produced the top scorer of the weekend in Dejan Smith who hit 41 points.
Since the turn Lakers have won eight of their 10 games and on a run like this, they could prove to be the surprise packet of the competition and a real threat to Tigers, Killester, Demons or Star.
Coach Mark Scannell declared: “The way we are playing right now I don’t think anybody would want to be coming to Killarney to play us. It is going to be a huge day in Killarney next Sunday afternoon.”
Mardyke UCC Demons had been hoping for the victory that would give them home advantage next weekend but they must travel North to play MDS Star who are placed second behind Dart Killester in the Northern Conference after losing 96-86 to Tigers.
Rus Bradburd had Brandon Mason back on court but he was still hobbling from the injury he picked up a couple of weeks earlier. He always has somebody to pick up the pieces and this time it was Kieran Donaghy who inspired the side to a 41-30 half time lead.
And then, in the second half, Travarus Bennett landed five three pointers in a row to open up a 22 point lead.
Demons battled their way back into the game but time ran out on them and, while just a short couple of weeks ago, they seemed assured of home advantage next weekend, they now find themselves on the road while Tigers end the regular campaign with a 16-4 record.
Neptune reflect on this as a season of missed opportunities as they relinquish their hold on the title and they did so tamely when they played host to Waterford Crystal for their final game of the competition and lost by two points 98-100.
They led 35-25 at the end of the first quarter and were clear leaders 66-45 at half time. A succession of turn-overs allowed Crystal back into the game, Kenny Gamble was fouled out and an open lay-up with 24 seconds remaining gave Waterford victory.
MDS Star finally clinched second place in the Northern Conference with a battling 80-72 victory over St Vincent’s. John Leahy shot 25 and Pt Campolieta hit 24 while, in the other game, Dart Killester beat Shamrock Rovers 102-82 in a game played in Mountmellick.
The women’s superleague play-offs threw up some exciting games. Bausch & Lomb Wildcats returned to form with an 80-79 victory over Dart Killester with Lisa Palmer scoring 18 points while Drimnagh Dynamos earned their place in the semi-finals with a 79-69 victory over Vienna Woods Glanmire.
Donoughmore made the long trip to Sligo to play Sligo Warriors and came away with a 41-43 win and the victory sets up another attractive game with St Mary’s in Castleisland next weekend with a place in the finals in Cork as the prize.
They won by nine points when St Mary’s came to Donoughmore last time around and Coach Dommie Mullins described that as a huge psychological boost in anticipation of a semi-final clash.
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