Men’s Super League: Dynamic Donaghy reels in Killorglin

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors captain Kieran Donaghy inspired his team to a magnificent win over Keane’s Supervalu Killorglin in the Men’s Super League at a packed Killorglin Sports Complex.

Donaghy finished with an impressive 16 points as the Warriors came from 10 points down at the break to run out 77-68 winners.

The atmosphere at the Kerry venue was suitably charged as the Warriors were determined to reverse their opening round defeat to Killorglin.

In a rip-roaring opening quarter, Killorglin played superb basketball and with Pierre Newton shooting exceptionally well outside the perimeter, they surged into an-11 point lead.

As the game went on it was evident the class of the Warriors was beginning to hurt Killorglin and entering the last quarter the deficit was reduced to four points - 68-64.

In the closing quarter, the Warriors took control and secured the bragging rights in style, much to the relief of Donaghy.

We were certainly tested by a resilient Killorglin side who had a magnificent crowd and, hopefully, that was the game we needed before Saturday’s cup semi-final against Killester,” said Donaghy.

DCU Saints are certainly a team that have experienced the highs and lows this season as they produced another masterclass to defeat fellow Dublin side UCD Marian 76-71.

The Saints led for the entire game and finished well, to the relief of veteran coach Joey Boylan.

“When we manage to bring our A game to the table we are a formidable unit and I thought we were full value for this win.”

Belfast Star were involved in a tough double-header against Dublin sides Killester and Templeogue. First up for the northerners were Killester and in one of the best games of the season at the De La Salle College , Star came out on top - 92-88.

Both sides are involved in cup semi-finals at the Mardyke Arena on Saturday and it was evident in the manner they competed from start to finish.

In a game where the lead changed regularly, the Belfast side found the big baskets coming down the stretch as they edged out their Dublin opponents.

Star were out again yesterday but this time came up short as they went down 83-81 to Templeogue. In a game where Star struggled during the opening quarter Templeogue exposed them, with Lorcan Murphy and Neil Randolph helping the Dublin outfit lead 24-14.

The northerners gradually got to grips with their opponents and reduced the deficit to four points at the break, before Templeoge increased it to 66-56 entering the fourth quarter.

Coming down the stretch, Star threw the kitchen sink at Templeogue but time wasn’t on their side and they narrowly failed to complete a weekend double.

For coach Adrian Fulton this was a disappointing result but he praised his players’ efforts: “We started slowly and after getting back in the game at the interval dropped our intensity again in the third before recovering the fourth but just came up short in the closing minutes.

It’s now a case of recovering for the Mardyke Arena on Saturday where we will have another tough encounter against UCD Marian.

The Galway derby between Maree and Moycullen had special significance, with the latter facing the possibility of relegation if they don’t get some wins under their belt in the coming weeks.

Indeed Moycullen led for the majority of the game as they commanded a seven point lead entering the final quarter 70-63.

When the game hung in the balance Moycullen struggled to find key baskets as they were restricted to nine points in the fourth quarter.

Maree, backed by their home fans, raised the bar and with American Sean Sellers giving an exhibition of shooting with a 31 point tally ran 86-79 winners.

For the Maree assistant coach John Finn this was a morale-boosting win for his side who lost to their close neighbours in the opening round.

Finn said: “It was a typical derby game but thankfully we found the big shots coming down the stretch that secured this crucial win for us.”

In the Men’s Division One, Ballincollig lost their 17-game unbeaten run when losing out to Dublin outfit Kubs 96-85, with American Elijah Tillman leading their scoring on 44 points.