Mitchell masterclass fires Ballincollig past error-prone UCC Demons
Ballincollig's Latrell Jossell scored 20 points for his side in their victory over UCC Demons. Pic: David Keane.
Latavious Mitchell produced another masterclass as Ballincollig defeated UCC Demons in a disappointing Men’s Super League clash at the Mardyke Arena on Friday.
Mitchell, one of the best professionals in the league, came good when Ballincollig needed inspiration against a Demons side who were guilty of making consistent errors over the four quarters.
The winners had solid contributions from Mitchell (26), Lattrell Jossell (20) with Josh Steel chipping in with 17 points.
Tala Fam was quick into his stride with a neat jumper that was immediately responded to by a stunning Ballincollig Josh Steel three pointer.
In the early exchanges Ballincollig looked organised on offence court but Demons inspired by Luke Sutton rallied to lead by four points in the sixth minute.
It's hard to believe Sutton had not been afforded a minute since his team's opening game against Neptune but he showed enough in this clash to warrant some game time going forward.
It was a big ask of Sutton but in fairness he chipped in with six points and didn’t look out of place.
The game swayed to and fro in the closing minutes but a late brace of free throws from Shariff Black edged Demons ahead by the minimum 22-21.
Alberto Rodriguez gave Ballincollig the perfect start but in all truth, Demons' defence was a shambles as they continued to give their opponents unchallenged lay-ups.
As the quarter wore on, Demons got sloppier and midway through this period Ballincollig commanded a three-point lead.
There was little doubt the home side were hanging on but Ballincollig were not firing on offence and consecutive baskets from Fam brought the sides level with 3:06 remaining to the interval.
Kyle Hosford has returned to the fold for Demons and is getting better with each game he plays and his ability to assist will help this struggling side in the coming months.
The two players that kept Ballincollig firing were Mitchell and Steel, two quality professionals who do their business in a clinical fashion, although some of Demons defending made it all that bit easier for them.
The visitors had a chance to finish with a flourish in their last possession but Demons kept them at bay to trail 44-40 at the interval.
The stats made interesting reading as Demons made 12 from 26 attempts inside the paint that gave them a 46% average but outside the arc they only made 3/13 (23%).
Ballincollig fared better outside the arc with a 6/10 reading with a 60% average and 11/27 inside the paint (41%).
On the restart Ballincollig’s Mitchell continued to dominate proceedings and within three minutes his team had extended their lead to nine points.
Ballincollig lost Steel in the 26th minute with a cut over his eye but his side continued to dominate with Jossell showing neat touches with his jumpers inside and outside the paint.
The overall play in the closing minutes of this quarter was scrappy on both sides but Ballincollig looked to be in the driving seat when commanding a nine-point lead entering the final quarter 70-61.
On the restart, Demons reduced the lead to three points but they were guilty of turning the ball over on three occasions when they needed a basket.
Many experienced Demons players were guilty of poor passing but despite all their errors they only trailed by four points with six minutes remaining, with Mitchell sitting down for the visitors after picking up his fourth foul.
Coming down the stretch Ballincollig found the key baskets as Demons' winless run continues with relegation now a serious reality.
T Fam 24, S Black 16, D Lehane 10.
L Mitchell 27, L Jossell 20, J Steel 17.
S Hannigan, B Horgan, J Beckom, L Sutton, K Hosford, J Hannigan, D Lehane, T Fam Thiam, D Cuff, C Looney, L Kivuvu, J Doles, S Black.
A O’Sullivan, J Steel, L Jossell, D O’Herlihy, A Rodriguez, C O’Sullivan, R O’Sullivan, C Blount, L O’Sullivan, D Corkery, L Mitchell, R O’Flynn.
Linda Cassidy (Dublin), Emer Buckley (Kerry), Leanne Ahern (Limerick).
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