National League

Feb 27 2022

InsureMyVan.ie Super League and Division 1 round-up

The end of the season draws near, and teams are battling it out to secure their places in the playoffs of the MissQuote.ie and InsureMyVan.ie National Leagues.

InsureMyVan.ie Super League

With the business end of the basketball season looming, there is plenty to play for in the InsureMyVan.ie Super League and Division 1. Due to the international team being in action against Switzerland and Cyprus this week, there was only one game to be played in the InsureMyVan.ie Super League.

DBS Éanna were looking to avenge last week’s 81-70 defeat to Belfast Star on Saturday evening. The top two in the North Conference played out another tight affair, with DBS Éanna coming out on top on a scoreline of 89-83. That result leaves second-placed Belfast Star six points adrift of the leaders DBS Éanna.

The scorers for DBS Éanna were evenly spread, with Stefan Zecevic leading the way on 19, followed closely by Mark Reynolds’ 18 and Romonn Nelson’s 14 point contribution. As for Belfast Star, Max Cooper headed the charts with 24, while Conor Quinn and Austin Beach both shot 16.

Speaking after the game, DBS Éanna coach Darren McGovern spoke of how proud he was of his team and its effort.

“We couldn't be prouder of the lads tonight. They reacted powerfully to last weekend's loss to deliver a great performance in front of a packed Éanna crowd.

“I want to point out that we missed Oleksandr Dolenko tonight and stand in solidarity with him and his country Ukraine. He is in touch with family and friends around the clock as Ukraine has been invaded by the Russian military. We love Alex and what is happening there is so wrong and wish his country well in the future fight.”

InsureMyVan.ie Division 1

There was plenty of action in the InsureMyVan.ie Division 1 over the weekend. Grand Hotel Malahide got a 99-75 win over McGowan’s Tolka Rovers, to keep the pressure up in the North Conference and make it three wins on the trot. Trevor Recio starred with 39 points, Kev Foley shot 15, as both Sean Daly and Tariq Gueballi contributed 10 points.

For McGowan’s Tolka Rovers, Michael Bonaparte top scored with 16, followed by Conor Meehan (16) and Elijah Faapito (15).

The trip to Limerick was a fruitful one for Scotts Lakers Killarney, as the Kerry side defeated Limerick Sport Eagles 99-92. The game went down to the wire but Scotts Lakers Killarney got back to winning ways, thanks to Emilyan Grydov’s 39 points, Duahen Godwin’s 35, as well as Jamie O’Sullivan’s 13 point contribution. For Limerick Sport Eagles, it was Nikola Ivkovic who led the charts with 21, followed by Manny Payton (17) and Daniel Ajuka (14).

North Conference leaders EJ Sligo All-Stars got back to winning ways with a convincing win over Titans on a 92-67 scoreline. Duo Keith Jordan (31) and Zack Powell (30) headed the scoring, joined by Jamie Hayes on nine. On the Titans shooting front, it was led by Joseph Coughlan on 22, Anthony Ezedonu on 18 and Keighlum Ledwith’s 13.

Drogheda Wolves kept the heat on EJ Sligo All-Stars, as they overcame Abbey Seals Dublin Lions on a 72-58 scoreline, making it three wins from as many games. Guilherme Vilela shot 26 for the hosts, followed by Denzel Ebose on 14 and Lucas Walford on 13. As for Abbey Seals Dublin, it was Kevin Anyanwu who stood out with 20, joined by Jack Maguire (!4) and Finn Hughes (12).

Killarney Cougars got the better of WIT Vikings on a 85-67 scoreline. Topping the charts for the Kerry side were Rich Dunham (27), Andrew Fitzgerald (25) and Tommy Bowler (17). For the opposing side, it was Jay Kavanagh who led the way on 23, followed by Craig O’Neill on 16 and Dan Miculescu’s eight.

In the North Conference, Ulster University won 74-65 at LYIT Donegal. For Ulster University, it was Conor O’Sullivan who headed the scoring with 21, Aaron Rooney shot 14, while Conall McQuaid ended up on 10. For LYIT, the scorers were James Claar (26), Luke Cassidy (18) and both Julian Koziowski and Emmanuel Ambiola on eight.

Fr. Mathews came out on top of a dramatic encounter against IT Carlow on Sunday. It took overtime to eventually win 86-97, after the sides were tied at 82 each after four quarters. Jonathan Garcia (24) top scored for the winners, followed closely by Diego O’Herlihy (22) and Brian O’Neill (21). As for IT Carlow, Armands Vaikuls hit 23, Kevin Donohoe finished up on 20, while Nate Shafer contributed 14.