Doles on fire as Demons shoot down the Tigers
When they met two weeks earlier in Tralee the margin was 31, so Tigers can take some consolation but it was once again a spectacular third quarter performance - coming off a somewhat flat first three - that saw Demons express their superiority. They led by four points going into the final quarter thanks to the brilliance of Michael Doles, and after he was rested by coach Pat Price at the start of the third quarter, he came off the bench to score a big three pointer, then two and then another three to bring his game total to 32.
Demons came from five points down to tie the game at 19-19 at the end of a close if uneventful first quarter. Eric Bush drove the visitors forward from the point and included two three pointers in a nine point total for the quarter.
Tigers’ newcomer, Luke Egan, heralded his debut with five points in the second quarter but even this failed to lift the tempo as Demons absorbed the pressure and then came forward. Bush managed just one basket in this quarter but was still in the driving seat. Demons again came from five points down to snatch a one point lead - 36-35 - at half-time thanks to a flurry from Doles, who scored seven points in the quarter.
Doles, with 15 points was also the key figure in the third quarter as Demons went six points up to put daylight between themselves and Tigers for the first time. A Luke O’Hea three pointer cut the margin to three and Kieran Donaghy went to the free throw line and cut it to two with one from two.
Demons went three up again but Roscoe Patterson came off the bench to tie the game with a three pointer with 1:59 on the clock. It was Doles again who came to the rescue and Demons led 59-55 at the end of the third quarter.
Bush had a three-pointer to cut the lead to one at the start of the fourth quarter but Gary Johnson stepped up to restore the four point lead with a three pointer. Shane Coughlan added two and then a three pointer and there were seven points between the sides two minutes into the final quarter.
Kieran Donaghy added three - one from the line - but Colin O’Reilly hit back with a basket and another point from the line and Demons.
Doles came off the bench for a three pointer, then two and Demons were 10 points up with four minutes on the clock. A Bush three pointer was negatived by a Doles three and a Colin O’Reilly basket had Demons 12 points clear with two and a half minutes remaining. Roscoe Patterson was fouled out and Demons were in full flight.
: Demons: M. Doles 32 pts, C. O’Reilly 19 pts G. Johnson and J. Whyte 11 pts each. Tigers: E. Bush 18 pts, L. O’hea 16 pts, K. Donaghy 12 pts
A Simon Flynn-inspired Roma St Vincent’s left it late to pull away from Hoops last night.
It was a very close all the way through but Roma pulled away in the fourth quarter.
: Roma St. Vincent’s: J. Turner (36 pts), M. Pero (17 pts; S. Flynn (12 pts), D. Donnelly (12 pts). Hoops: R. Statum (35 pts), C. Whyte (13 pts), S. McGlurkin (10 pts).
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