National League

Feb 12 2023

The Address UCC Glanmire go six points clear in MissQuote.ie Super League, wins for University of Galway Maree and Belfast Star

The Address UCC Glanmire moved six points clear at the of the MissQuote.ie Super League thanks to Khiarica Rasheed’s buzzer beater with the final play to seal a dramatic 75-73 win at Singleton SuperValu Brunell. Their closest title rivals, Trinity Meteors, slipped to a 98-88 home defeat to Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtics. Conference table-toppers University of Galway Maree and Belfast Star both moved to 12-3 records in the InsureMyHouse.ie Super League, thanks to cross conference wins against DBS Éanna and Emporium Cork Basketball.

The Address UCC Glanmire left it late to snatch a 75-73 win over Singleton SuperValu Brunell at Parochial Hall. Evenly poised at 73 apiece, Mark Scannell’s side had possession with two seconds remaining and their set play worked out perfectly, with Rasheed executing a nerveless jump shot.

“Sometimes the odd play works out. We’re delighted I’m saying all along they’re very good. The way we finished was fantastic and to win without Áine (McKenna) is a tribute to the depth of our squad and the effort they put in. We move on to next week and another big game. Our Americans were very good today and Claire (O’Sullivan) was a real leader out there. Annealise (Murphy) Simone (O’Shea) and Amy (Dooley) played their hearts out.” - Mark Scannell, The Address UCC Glanmire head coach

O’Sullivan and Rasheed both finished with game-highs of 23 points for the winners.

𝘽𝙪𝙯𝙯𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣⏰@GlanmireBBall win at the death against @SvSingleton thanks to Khiarica Rasheed's jump shot with the final play 👀@missquoteie Super League result:@SvSingleton 73@GlanmireBBall 75#BISL #basketball pic.twitter.com/7HQPhpYHJs
— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) February 12, 2023

Trinity Meteors fell to their second league defeat in a row, Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtics international trio inspired them to a 98-88 road win. Sorcha Tiernan top scored with 29 points, while Ciara Bracken had 19 and Áine O’Connor 18.

Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtics head coach Karl Kilbride siad “Delighted with the performance. It was our most consistent performance all year at both ends of the floor. We knew going in that we had to win the fight in order to win the game and I thought our effort and work rate rebounding the ball were phenomenal. Meteors were excellent and punished us time and again for defensive lapses - Sarah Kenny in particular shot the ball really well. They did a great job at closing out quarters. Our three internationals stepped up and showed why they’re internationals, Sorcha (Tiernan) was magnificent. But I really thought Ailbhe (O’Connor) was a game changer, fighting inside, running the floor and doing all the dirty work it takes to come away with a win like that. Now we need to show the same consistency week in week out, going forward.”

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DCU Mercy stay third in the table, they won 84-69 at in-from Ulster University, who’d come into the game with three wins from four matches. Amelia Motz top scored for the victors on 20 points. Head coach Mark Ingle gave this appraisal afterwards: “Very tough game against the most improved team in the league. I was happy with our second half defence and how we shared the scoring by moving the ball especially in the second half”

Waterford Wildcats and Killester knew a win for either side would see them go to fourth and it was Tommy O’Mahony’s side who came out on top, 71-63, to avenge last month’s InsureMyHouse.ie National Cup semi-final defeat. Karli Seay led scoring for the victors, on 19, but it was the defensive side of things that pleased the Waterford Wildcats head coach most.

“Delighted to get the win, defensively we were very poor last few weeks and that was our sole focus for tonight's game. Killester are a serious team, as they have shown all year. We have four games left and we are really looking forward to the challenges ahead. We are delighted with the teams’ performance and if we can replicate that for the rest of the season, we will be very close to where we want to be.” O’Mahony said.

Sarah Hickey, Waterford Wildcats and Michelle Clarke, Killester

One of the games of the weekend was University of Galway Mystics and i3PT Fr. Mathews, which needed three overtime periods to finally separate the sides, the Galway club eventually coming out on top, 102-98, to record their second win of the season. Naomi Sharlyn Ganpo-Nkwenkwa’s 27 points, backed up by 22 and 17 point hauls from Hazel Finn and Kara McCleane.

There was certainly an element of relief from University of Galway Mystics head coach Paul O’Brien afterwards.

“Delighted to get the win in the end! Both team gave everything and happy to get over the line. We weren't happy with our defensive effort in the first half, but really stepped up in the second half. I feel our play since Christmas has been excellent and to finally get that second win is a massive boost for us.” - Paul O'Brien, University of Galway Mystics head coach

University of Galway Maree’s fine season continued, they defeated DBS Éanna 62-50 in a repeat of the InsureMyHouse.ie National Cup final. Strong second and fourth quarters were crucial for the win, Cathal Finn notching up eight of his 16 points in the second, while Eoin Rockall posted 14 points in the game. Asked what the key to the victory was, head coach Charlie Crowley said “Just trying your best and leaving everything on the floor. I’m delighted to get a win over Éanna. All our focus is on Ballincolig now, both mentally and physically.”

UCC Demons are the Galway club’s closest challengers in the InsureMyVan.ie Super League South Conference, they were 87-81 winners at Killester. Michael Randolph Jr. was once again the team’s leading scorer, with 34 points, but head coach Daniel O’Mahony directed praise to some of his squad players who stepped up. “Yeah a great win, Killester are a great side and very disciplined in their offence. We were without Carleton Cuff and with Kyle (Hosford) still nursing an injury, we went to other bodies and got great performances from David (Lehane), Ryan (Murphy) and the twins – James and Scott (Hannigan).”

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Belfast Star are now six points clear at the top of the North Conference, they narrowly defeated Emporium Cork Basketball 84-80 after overtime at De La Salle College. It was a game that was in the balance throughout, with 19 lead changes. Chrishon Briggs (22) and Max Richardson (19) and Aidan Quinn (14) were their leading scorers on the day.

Belfast Star head coach Adrian Fulton hailed the “character” shown by his team. “Tonight was a great advertisement for the Super League. Ballincollig are a terrific team, even without the outstanding Adrian O'Sullivan. It went right to the wire, but I felt we showed great character to close out the game. We felt it was a really important win for us, because we go on a three week road trip, starting with Sligo next week.”

Energywise Ireland Neptune are now level on points with Emporium Cork Basketball, following a comprehensive 100-40 win at UCD Marian, Ireland international Jordan Blount top scored with 21 points. Reflecting afterwards player/coach Colin O’Reilly’s said: “Very professional performance from us. We know they were not at full strength, so we concentrated on our effort throughout to make sure we continue to build good habits.

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors began their three-game home run at the Tralee Sports Complex with a 84-67 success over EJ Sligo All-Stars. The Kerry side moved ahead 6-5 two and a half minutes in courtesy of a three point jump shot from Daniel Jokubaitis and never relinquished the lead after that. They 27-12 advantage at the end of the first and Ej Sligo All-Stars couldn’t claw themselves back into contention after that. It was a familiar trio who headed Garvey’s Tralee Warriors’ scoring - Matija Jokic (22), De’Ondre Jackson (21) and Jokubaitis (19). Head coach John Dowling stated: “Solid performance all round, the Tralee crowd were brilliant and our young players gave us a big lift at the right time. Sligo keep digging in, even when we had a heavy lead, but we made the right plays at the right time.”

De'Ondre Jackson had 21 points for Garvey's Tralee Warriors

Flexachem KCYMS picked up their fourth victory of the season, defeating Griffith College Templeogue 98-70. Robert Alan Kelly Jr. was their top scorer with 23 points, followed by Pharroh Gordon (18) and Liam Croke (17) and head coach Declan Wall highlighted the impact of Croke and Ronan Fitzpatrick (6). “Glad that the lads got the win tonight. They have been working hard every week in practice and both ends of the floor was really good. I thought Liam Croke and Ronan Fitzpatrick showed up tonight, which gave us options. Hopefully we can finish the season strongly now and welcome UCC Demons next week at home again.”

Moycullen earned their third win of the season, edging Bright. St. Vincent’s 70-67 at the Kingfisher Gym on Sunday. The County Galway outfit trailed by nine at half-time, 39-30, but turned it around in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 22-11, to go into the final quarter 52-50 up. Donovan Fields, who had a game-high 30 points, put Bright St. Vincent’s ahead 67-66 with 53 seconds to go, however some nerveless free throwing Grant Olsson and Joseph Tummon, turned the game in Moycullen’s favour.

“We’re in a battle to preserve our Super League status and we won the first dogfight today. We’ve had a tough season with injuries, including a couple of season-ending ones early on and, unfortunately, ‘Focus on February’ has been a motto for a while. We’ve got off to a good start, but we need to keep the momentum going now. Fair play to the lads for knuckling down through a tough time and getting the win. More needed.” - Moycullen head coach, John Cunningham

In InsureMyVan.ie Division 1 Limerick Celtics and Moy Tolka Rovers moved a 11-3 records at the top. Limerick Celtics were 101-96 winners against Portlaoise Panthers, while Moy Tolka Rovers needed overtime to defeat Dwyer’s of Cork Fr. Mathews 92-90. Limerick Sport Eagles missed the opportunity to stay with the pace-setters, slipping to a 90-81 defeat at Malahide. Drogheda Wolves and Ulster University both picked up their 10th wins of the season, Drogheda Wolves defeating Scotts Lakers SPK 109-84 and Ulster University 83-54 winners over SETU Waterford Vikings. Abbey Seals Dublin Lions had their fourth win of the season, a 104-79 road success at bottom club Killarney Cougars.

McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles remain the team in control in MissQuote.ie Division 1, registering another victory, this time 70-61 at Abbey Seals Dublin Lions, to improve to 14-1 in an outstanding debut season in the National League. Another debutant, St. Paul’s Killarney, are second in the table, they overcame Marble City Hawks 64-55. Phoenix Rockets defeated Oblate Dynamos 63-55, Moy Tolka Rovers were 64-41 winners at Dublin rivals Swords Thunder. On Sunday Griffith College Templeogue won 86-64 at SETU Carlow 86-64, while Portlaoise Panthers were comfortable 87-50 winners against Limerick Sport Huskies.

InsureMyVan.ie Super League Results:

Saturday, February 11th

Belfast Star 84-80 Emporium Cork Basketball

Killester 81-87 UCC Demons

UCD Marian 40-100 Energywise Ireland Neptune

University of Galway Maree 62-50 DBS Éanna

Flexachem KCYMS 98-70 Griffith College Templeogue

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 84-67 EJ Sligo All-Stars, Tralee Sports Complex

Sunday, February 12th

Moycullen 70-67 Bright. St. Vincent’s

InsureMyVan.ie Division 1 Results:

Saturday, February 11th