Conor Meany on basketball: Late error costs Éanna as Tralee take advantage

When the ball hit the roof, the hosts got possession and a chance to stun the visitors.

Sun, 22 Dec, 2024 - 20:00

Conor Meany

Tralee stun Éanna after late slip

Tralee have been searching for consistency for the past couple of weeks and this week they did see improvement as they beat Killorglin (without Jordan Blount) on Thursday and then Eanna on Saturday. In the Eanna game they were great for three quarters as they led by as many as 20. Youngster Joshua Osayanrhion gave them a big energy boost in the second quarter with eight points in three minutes as they built out a comfortable lead. The main concern though is that in the fourth they went back to being stagnant and Eanna got all the way back to tie the game. Tralee didn’t adjust to the referee’s whistle and Eanna’s free-throw shooting, hitting 14 in the fourth and 28/29 overall, almost got them to overtime. The reason they didn’t get to overtime is both a rare and unfortunate one for the Dubliners. Tralee tried to win through Marquavian Stephens but his attempted game-winner fell short. Eanna got the rebound and needlessly tried to throw the ball away to the other end of the floor. The ball hit the roof which meant it was Tralee’s ball again with 0.8 on the clock. Stephens got another chance at heroics and hit a game-winning three from the corner. Despite an awful month, Tralee sit second in the table at Christmas thanks to the two wins this week, while Eanna’s shaky month themselves (losing three of their last four) sees them slide to fifth.