Killester gain league revenge over UCD
Jermaine Turner was back on song last night with a game high of 26 points as Killester exacted some revenge for their cup final shock a week earlier during an 87-74 victory at the IWA Centre.
DCU Saints had already ended the UCD Marian Cup celebrations on Saturday night when they recorded a 83-76 win to enhance their hopes of a second place finish in the Northern Conference, which would ensure home advantage in the play-offs.
Saints, with an earlier victory over defeated cup champions Killester under their belts, grabbed the initiative going into the final two minutes when Kevin Lacey stepped up with nine points.
“It was a very valuable win,” Saints’ coach, Vinny O’Keeffe, said. “It’s a bit of a dog-fight between ourselves, UCD and Belfast Star for the play-off spots. We have earmarked second spot and hopefully this will go a long way in achieving that goal. Their zone defence was very effective against us in the Cup but I felt we did a better job on that this time around. Our defensive intensity has been the key in recent weeks and we are on a good run. We knew they were going to be buzzing coming into this but we managed to contain that.”
After their neighbours, Bord Gáis Neptune, had fallen victim to UL Eagles on Saturday night, UCC Demons yesterday consolidated second position in the Southern Conference ahead of next weekend’s derby game with a crucial 98-88 victory over Belfast Star at the Mardyke Arena.
After holding Star’s high-scoring American, Clayton Longmire, to just 17 points, coach Paul Kelleher was singing the praises of all-rounder Shane Duggan.
“I thought Shane did a magnificent job on Longmire,” he said. “He put in a great shift on a player who has been devastating since coming to the league. It’s a big win and a good confidence builder ahead of the derby next weekend.
“We are disappointed to give up 88 points, it’s something we need to work on and we need to be more disciplined.”
UL Eagles are proving unstoppable at the top of the Southern Conference, beating Bord Gáis Neptune 100-75 to record their sixth straight SuperLeague win. Cameron Mitchell, who is averaging just over 24 points per game this season, produced another impressive scoring display with 31 points.
“We are building up some real momentum at the right time,” Eagles captain Neil Campbell said. “We were disappointed with our National Cup performance against Killester and we are focused on making up for that loss.”
Ulster Elks beat Moycullen 83-79 for their third win of the season but it was hard-earned and the visitors pushed them all the way.
“The game was swinging back and forth but we really dominated in the end. It feels great to get the much needed victory,” Elks’ Kevin Foley, who top scored with 33 points, said. “As a team, we have stopped looking at the tables and play-offs and instead focused on the game at hand. Last year we focused on the tables and missed some great opportunities that cost us a play-off position.”
Cup champions DCU Mercy defeated Montenotte Hotel Cork 65-47 on their return to duty in the women’s SuperLeague.
Coming off a slow start — they trailed 19-9 in the first quarter — Mark Ingle’s side turned the screw in the third, building up an 11-point advantage and never looked back. “We didn’t start with the right intensity but gradually got more and more into the game,” Ingle admitted.
UL coach James Weldon was thrilled with his side’s 69-35 win away to Meteors, which puts them in line for a big run down the stretch. “I couldn’t have asked for a better response from the players,” he said.
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