Friday night hoops: Demons stride clear of troubled Tralee; Meteors scare, Wilson steps up

A full round of Superleague action sees Warriors fall further behind UCC Demons in the play-off chase. Other sides limbered up for Cup semi-final weekend

DRIVE: Energywise Ireland Neptune's Nil Sabata goes for a basket during Friday's Men's Super league clash against NUIG Maree in Neptune Stadium. 

Demons dent Warriors playoff hopes

UCC Demons' depth proved to be a major factor as the Cork side won a critical game on Friday night against Tralee,  opening up a three-game gap between the teams. With Demons controlling the head-to-head too,  they will feel that their 92-86 win was a major step towards securing a playoff spot. The trust that Danny O’Mahony has developed with two of his younger Irish players David Lehane and Scott Hannigan was repaid in spades in the fourth quarter at the Mardyke. Tralee were throwing the kitchen sink at Demons but big plays from both, including a Hannigan three to give Demons a late four-point lead, was enough to seal the deal for Demons. Lehane’s development was one of the factors that inspired Demons to get back to Super League level and his impact in this crucial game was huge as he had an incredible +/- of +19, which simply meant that when he was on the floor good things happened. Demons already know they have an ace trio of Hosford, Fam and MJ Randolph but it will be their supporting cast that decide how far they go this year.