Conor Meany: Plenty for Demons to work on for cup decider
Eoin Quigley Tralee Warriors and Seventh Woods UCC Demons at the Men’s Super League match played at Tralee Sports Complex in Tralee. Picture: Domnick Walsh
Mark Grenell’s Killester side bounced back from last weekend’s cup loss to deal Liffey Celtics just their second league loss of the season. Liffey won the first matchup between the teams and a loss by Killester would have been a major blow to their title ambitions, instead they now are equal in losses to Liffey and just one game back from Brunell. The game was close throughout and it looked like it would go basket for basket as Liffey went up 71-68 with six and a half minutes left. A 10-0 run by Killester took them to 78-71 up and although Liffey challenged, the home side had enough to close out the win. It was well documented how foul trouble impacted Claire Melia’s influence in the cup semi last week and she bounced back this week with a 27-point performance, going 11/11 from two-point range. With both teams still to play Brunell again, there are more twists on the way but for now they remain neck and neck.
It wasn’t a vintage Brunell performance against a gritty Meteors team who had Sarah Kenny back in their ranks, but it was enough to get through and look ahead to a cup final next week. Meteors played well and were in the game until half-time but just didn’t have the scoring or depth required to push on in the second half. Jayla Johnson scored well and after a slow start Edel Thornton hit shots when needed for the leaders. With two cup final losses in recent years Brunell now go into next week’s showcase as favourites and will be hoping they can finally break that hoodoo. Their opponents Fr Mathew's had a weekend off to get in extra preparation for the final and Pat Price will be hoping his side can come up with one more magical performance.
On the face of it, a loss in Tralee is no big deal, but the manner of the defeat will be a concern for Demons fans. The game saw the best and worst of both teams as Demons raced out to a 26-point lead as they pushed the ball in transition against a lacklustre Tralee team missing Ryan Leonard through injury. Tralee’s hangover from their cup loss last week looked like it would doom them until a David Lehane box out sent Kieran Donaghy to the floor and some pushing and shoving from both teams ensued. Tralee were woken up and their move to zone defense completely took Demons out of their game. Tralee fought back and there was a feeling of the inevitable as they eventually took the lead and won 90-84. Tralee will be concerned about shot creation without Ryan Leonard but will be proud of their fight. Demons will be far more concerned about a critical league win slipping through their hands. With Ballincollig likely to show a lot of zone in the cup final it’s also a concern that Demons didn’t know how to find Elijah Tillman against Tralee’s zone and they seem to lack a high post option who is a threat.
It’s hard to know what Adrian Fulton will be thinking after his side’s dramatic 98-97 win at home. Star were coasting in the first half of the game leading by as many as 21 before a needless incident saw Max Richardson get ejected from the game and Tamyrik Fields join him after coming off the bench during the altercation. It was mindless from Richardson and put Star in needless danger for the rest of the game. Sligo were good from that point on and clawed their way back into the game and had chances to win. The silver lining for Fulton is that his side showed character and big man Frenki Lilaj had a great performance with 24 points, 17 rebounds and the critical final free throws to win the game. It may be a point in the season Fulton looks back at as the point he got another key contributor for tough situations, but for now he’s likely just annoyed that his team ever got into the tough situation.
A big second quarter by Wildcats got a big home win 81-72 over Glanmire that creates separation from the Waterford side and the mid-table teams chasing the top four. Wildcats are on three losses just one game off Liffey Celtics and Killester and will still be hopeful that they can get themselves back into the title race, especially as they have to play all three teams who sit ahead of them. The next month will show whether Wildcats have enough or whether that lack of depth we’ve seen this year will ultimately cost them. For Glanmire it’s another case of not having enough scoring this year to be able to test the top teams.
Kason Harrell had the top individual performance of the year as he scored 50 while leading Killester to a 110-91 win away to Eanna. Harrell showed his scoring exploits when he was last in Ireland two years ago and when he’s on his day he’s the best offensive threat in the country. Eanna’s long Christmas layoff left them rusty, and they weren’t ready to defend at an elite level on Saturday. Both teams are tied at 7-4 and Killester now have the head-to-head should it be required in the race for playoff positions.
Without Kyle Carey, Maree needed a burst of scoring from Cathal Finn off the bench to help the defending cup champions top their local rivals. Moycullen know that when they perform well, they can compete with anyone and they showed that again on Saturday, but that won’t serve as consolation. The teams face off again next Friday and with Kyle Carey likely returning Moycullen will need to find a way to generate more fourth quarter offense if they are going to create an upset.
Ballincollig managed to survive their trip to Kerry with a 90-87 win over Killorglin. Without Nikola Rosso and with a cup final next week, it would be understandable if Ballincollig slipped up but fortunately for them Shawndale Jones was in top form with 34 points. Killorglin, desperate for a win, will be pleased by Terry Winn’s 24 points and they had good opportunities through Kendall Jacks but just couldn’t convert when they needed to. Killorglin don’t have an easy schedule from this point on and they need to find ways to convert, particularly at home if they are to survive.
Ulster University got a crucial win as they brought a familiar face Nate Shaffer back. The American is a hard-working, solid presence and he helped Ulster outmatch a Templeogue team again missing Lorcan Murphy. It wasn’t a good game for either team’s offense and Templeogue’s seven-point second quarter is as bad as any home team will do this year in the league. The win is Ulster’s third and takes them just one game off both Templeogue and Sligo for that final playoff spot. Vincent's loss to Neptune leaves them on just three wins and alone at the foot of the Northern Conference in real danger of relegation.
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