Double delight as Demons secure home play-off

Shawn Atupem chipped in with scores of 23 and 29 points as UCC Demons secured the Southern Conference title and a home venue for the play-offs with back-to-back wins over Belfast Star in the Nivea for Men’s SuperLeague in Belfast at the weekend.

Yesterday Atupem’s last-gasp basket was enough to give the Cork side a slender 85-83 win while, on Saturday, his contribution alongside a superb performance from young Ciarán O’Sullivan ensured a more comprehensive 86-71 victory.

“We stole the win,” Demons’ coach, Paul Kelleher, admitted after yesterday’s game. “It was a very hard-fought game and we showed good character in the closing stages. Star are a good side and when Paul Cummins (29 points) is in that sort of form, they are very hard to stop.