Tigers retain record after dramatic play

TRALEE’s Horan Healthfood Tigers preserved their 100% Superleague record in dramatic and controversial circumstances at the weekend.

The cross-conference battle with Killester in Dublin went to double overtime and turned on a furiously disputed ‘basket interference’ call by Killester’s Jerome Westbrooks.

Tralee eventually prevailed 120-113, but the score which sent the game into overtime was vigorously contested by the home side, who were leading 86-84 with a second left on the clock.

“We forced Ricardo Leonard, on the rebound, to take a difficult shot,” coach Mark Ingle claimed yesterday. “There were a lot of hands in the air and Jerome Westbrooks’ hand went up through the net. Now he claimed he was pushed and his hand accidentally went up through the net.

“Simultaneously the ball came off the rim - it never went in - and he did not touch it. He was called for hanging out of the net and the score was given. There is no doubt he touched the net but it was not deliberate.

“I don’t think Tigers would have had any quibble`.

“It had been a truly superb game.

“But this was an unfortunate ending.”

He admitted they had their chances to win both in overtime and double overtime despite losing Tony Atchison to fouls before the extra periods.

“It was certainly a game to savour,” he said. “But another statistic that jumped out at me was the fact that Tralee made 32 foul shots and we made 12 out of 16 so there was a huge discrepancy.

“Having said that, this was a good performance by Tralee. They are the most talented team we have played against.”

The teams were tied at 104 points apiece at the end of the first period of overtime and then Tigers edged clear to keep their unbeaten record intact. Brandon Mason top scored with 32 points.

Irish international, Damien Sealy, top scored with 26 for Killester.

St Vincent’s were involved in controversy for the second successive weekend when they played against BurgerKing Limerick under appeal.

Coach Joey Boylan had brought in Mike Trimmer to bolster his bench but he ended up having to play with just one American when the SuperLeague Board ruled him out on Friday night.

Trimmer stood suspended for four games following an altercation with an official when he played with Tigers in Tralee last season.

Going into the weekend the NCC ruled that, as he has missed the first four games of the season, he had served his suspension, but the SuperLeague Board then deemed that the decision was outside the remit of the NCC and enforced the suspension.

This meant that St Vincent’s had to play with one American for the second consecutive week having missed the Friday noon deadline to sign a replacement. They requested the rescheduling of the game but it was played as scheduled. They lost 101 pts to 88 to Limerick, and have now lodged an appeal.

BurgerKing Limerick also had to play with just one American as Keith Friel is carrying an injury but Vincent’s problems were compounded with new signing, Eric Brown, dislocated his thumb early in the game.

Kenny Gamble, Charron Watson and Gordon Fitzgerald were on fire for Neptune as they beat Hibernian UCD Marian by 83 pts to 80 at Neptune Stadium while bustling Tory Butler hit 35 for Mardyke UCC Demons as they beat Tolka Rovers 105-89 in Dublin.