Superleague Basketball: Cup-winning hangover trips up Liffey Celtics, but Killester get job done

Waterford Wildcats edge Munster derby in women's Superleague while in the men's division, UCC Demons put Cup final setback behind them to keep pace with Killester

REBOUND: Ballincollig's Irish international Adrian O'Sullivan contests the rebound with Templeogue's  Callum McGrail and Jake Mullins in their Men's Superleague tie at MTU Arena in Cork. Pic: Jim Coughlan.

CUP final hangovers being a thing, it might not have been the biggest surprise to see new Women's Cup champions FloMAX Liffey Celtic downed by Trinity Meteors over the weekend. Kudos, then, to Super League leaders and newly minted cup champions Killester, who avoided a National Cup-winning hangover after they battled back to beat Belfast Star 86-78 in Clontarf in the Men's league.

FloMAX Liffey Celtics were unable to carry the momentum generated from last week’s Paudie O’Connor National Cup success back into their Women’s Super League campaign as they suffered an 81-76 reversal on the road against Trinity Meteors. A huge third-quarter performance, in which they outgunned Celtics by 22 points, propelled Trinity to victory, despite their Leixlip rivals recouping 13 in the fourth.

Both teams had four players in double figures by the final buzzer, Emma Merriweather and Sarah Kenny, together, amassing 34 points and 28 rebounds for Meteors, while Sorcha Tiernan, on 20, was the most prolific for Celtics.

“We had a big emphasis on execution on both ends this week, so, to see it applied in the game, was great” said Hillary Netsiyanwa, Trinity Meteors head coach. “Huge credit to the girls, after having two weeks off, it was crucial to come back and be as sharp as possible, which we were, outside of a spell in the fourth quarter."

SETU Waterford Wildcats took the opportunity to move back level with Liffey Celtics at the top of the women's superleague table, and with a game in hand to boot, after they dug out an 86-81 win over UCC Glanmire in Mercy College on Saturday.

Ashia McCalla finished on a game-high 29 points for the hosts, while Sarah Hickey and Chelsea Cain also weighed in considerably with a combined 33 points and as many rebounds to see off a tough Glanmire outfit that emerged from this tie with five players in double digits, including DelJanae Williams (17) and Callie Cavanaugh (16).

“That was a tough well-fought game that went down to the wire” remarked Wildcats coach Jillian Hayes.

“They shot the ball better, scoring ten three-pointers compared to our two, but I thought we dug deep defensively and rebounded the ball really well. We’re very happy to be back to winning form” she added.

A big fourth-quarter surge saw Killarney's Utility Trust St. Paul’s turn a ten-point deficit into a thrilling 71-70 victory at home to Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell. Gracen Kerr enjoyed a sensational closing 10 minutes to this tie, serving up 16 points for the hosts to take her overall tally to 24, while Alexandra Wittinger also made a huge impact on proceedings with 16 points and as many rebounds.

For Brunell, this game marked another step in the return to full match-fitness for Ireland international Edel Thornton, who combined with Trinity Hudson for 34 points.

In Men’s Super League, Killester's Isiah Dasher and Baptiste Chazelas carded a combined 37 points and 25 rebounds for the current table toppers to see off a Star side that mounted a severe challenge with De Ondre Jackson and Darweshi Hunter each putting 21 on the scoreboard.

Beaten National Cup finalists, UCC Demons managed to remain hot on the heels of Killester, after they battled their way back from 11 points down in the closing seven minutes to edge defending champions Griffith College Éanna 94-91 in an enthralling battle in Coláiste Éanna.

Both teams boasted a great spread on the scoresheet, Demons ending the game with five players in double figures, including Elijah Tillman on a game-best 26 points, while Patrick Robinson and James Hannigan weighed in with 17 apiece.

Tyland Crawford was the most prolific of the five who doubled for Éanna, putting up 19 points on the night with Stefan Desnica just one shy of that total.

“Eanna away is always a tough place to go, but I felt some big plays in the fourth quarter got us over the line” said Daniel O’Mahony, UCC Demons head coach.

A Beni Fungula three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining proved the difference in the end as Flexachem KCYMS clinched an 85-82 victory at home against Maree.

Jeffrey Okeke and Jordan Blount, together, bagged 45 points and 15 rebounds in a gripping tug-of-war that saw the Killorglin side cough up a 21-point lead to fall seven behind before regaining the initiative down the stretch.

Maree, themselves, had Joshua McGettigan and Miles Brown on a combined 44, but even that significant effort was not enough to see them over the line.

Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU bounced back swiftly from Thursday night’s agonising three-point derby defeat at the hands of Energywise Ireland Neptune when they stormed to a 101-69 victory over Templeogue in MTU Arena.

Todd Wolfe converted four of his five three-point attempts en route to a 33-point total for the home side, while Sean McManus chipped in with 11 rebounds and 13 points to help see off a Templeogue side, for whom Samuel Henderson and Jacolbey Owens put up a combined 39 points.

In Men’s Division One, there was no fear of a hangover for the unbeaten Limerick Celtics in the wake of their President’s National Cup success as they recorded a comprehensive 122-67 victory over SETU Waterford Vikings in Crescent College.

In Women’s Division One, iSecure Swords Thunder and Limerick Celtics remained neck and neck in second place after the former weathered a fourth-quarter surge by Oblate Dynamos to take a 77-70 win in Inchicore while Limerick ran out 82-64 victors against Abbey Seals Dublin Lions in Crescent College.