Ulster University and Titans move up to second with big weekend wins while iSecure Swords Thunder bounce back in Dublin derby

Both Ulster University and Titans BC bolstered their chances of a top-two finish in their respective Men’s Division One conferences, the former edging out Moy Tolka Rovers 81-76 in Jordanstown Sports Village on Saturday, while Titans surmounted Scotts Lakers Killarney 73-63 in Ballinfoyle Castlegar Centre. In Women’s Division One, iSecure Swords Thunder bounced back from their National Cup final defeat the previous week to fend off Oblate Dynamos for a 77-70 success in a tough Dublin derby in Inchicore. 

Ulster University moved level with Moy Tolka Rovers in second place in the Men’s Division One North Conference after they recovered from a slow start to edge their Dublin rivals 81-76 in Jordanstown Sports Village.

Finding themselves 14 points down early in the third quarter, Ulster fought back to overtake midway through the fourth and maintain that lead to the final buzzer, five players finishing in double digits for them, including Curtis Larousse on 15 points, a huge 20 rebounds and five assists.

That helped counter the 17 points and 15 rebounds that Emiliyan Grudov served up for Tolka, who also boasted the game’s top two scorers in Daniel Ayoade and Mike Wallace on 19 apiece, which was still not enough to propel the Dublin side over the line.

“Although we started off slowly, we never panicked” remarked Eduardo Macho, Ulster University head coach.

“Instead, the team strengthened their defense and developed more structured offensive plays, allowing us to level the match.

“In the final period, the team delivered a fantastic performance, denying Tolka the opportunity to play their style. This was a great win for a mature team” he added.

It was a similar scenario in the South Conference on Saturday as Titans got the better of Scotts Lakers Killarney 73-63 in Ballinfoyle Castlegar Centre to join the Kerry side in second position.

Despite Darnell Snyers putting up a 30-point haul for the visitors, Titans did enough to see this one out, Michael Hayes and Fortune Igbokwe combining for 35 points and 16 rebounds.

“We knew, going in, it was going to be a hard game” said Ciaran Kiveney, Titans head coach.

“Defensively, we had a plan to stop their main offensive threat, Mikah Blackwell, but Darnell had a great game for them.

“We’ll take a few learning points from this, but a win is our first priority and we’re happy with that” he added.

South Conference leaders, Limerick Celtics ensured there was no danger of a hangover in the wake of last week’s President’s National Cup success as they recorded a comprehensive 122-67 victory over SETU Waterford Vikings in Crescent College on Saturday.

Aaron Jackson recorded a big game for Waterford with a haul of 28 points and eight rebounds, but it was not enough to inspire the visitors, to, what would have been a huge scalp, as Limerick extended their unbeaten run in the league to 14 games.

Finn Hughes served up a double double for the hosts with a game-high 33 points and 10 rebounds, while AJ Williams weighed in with a further 23 points and nine assists.

A second-half comeback saw Maigh Cuilinn chalk up a 78-73 win on the road against Killarney Cougars on Saturday night.

Down 11 points almost midway through the third quarter, the Galway side battled back to avoid a fourth straight reversal in the league, as Grant Olsson and Dylan Cunningham, together, amassed 47 points, the latter also winning 13 defensive boards on his way to a total of 15 rebounds.

Team NorthWest ended a run of four straight defeats in National League after they registered a 90-81 win over Joels Dublin Lions in ATU Donegal.

There were some big tallies recorded on both sides, with Luke Cassidy carding a game-high 26 points and Shakeil Bertrand a further 22 for the hosts, while Aidan Igiehon and Evan Cook amassed 48 between them for Lions.

Tipp Talons picked up their fourth win of the campaign after they surmounted Limerick Sport Eagles 93-83 in Scoil Ruain.

Miles O’Donnell and Joshua Reynolds were among four players in double digits for Tipp, the two putting up a combined 39 points that helped address the 29 that Alexander Carlisle delivered for Eagles.

A big first-half display, in which they established a 30-point cushion, sent Drogheda Wolves on their way to a 112-95 success against Mater Private Malahide in Ballymakenny College.

Francisco Dias and Christian Simmons spearheaded Drogheda’s drive to victory with a total of 49 points and 20 rebounds, while Romonn Nelson served up a game-high 31 for the visitors.

 

In Women’s Division One, iSecure Swords Thunder and Limerick Celtics remain 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.

Looking to bounce back from their Division One Cup final loss to McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles the previous week, Swords tore into a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter and pushed that out to 16 by the close of the third, as Makayla Miller racked up a huge 35-point haul for the visitors on the day.

Oblate did keep on battling though, recouping nine points in the fourth, as Heather Meagher took her tally to 21 for the homeside.

“Oblates is always a tough road game and, coming on the back of our Cup final loss and missing a few players, made it that much more of a task” stressed iSecure Swords Thunder head coach, Paul Carr.

“Our young girls really stepped up and gave us good minutes and, defensively, we executed our plan, which was what got us over the line" he said.

Limerick Celtics did all the heavy lifting in the opening half, establishing a 23-point advantage as they eventually ran out 82-64 winners over Abbey Seals Dublin Lions.

Shelby Harmeyer and Stephanie McBride ended the game on a combined 52 points and 27 rebounds for the hosts in response to the impressive 20 points and 20 rebounds that Sofia Paska bagged for the Clondalkin side.

Cleveland Rockets, meanwhile, battled back from six points down in the fourth quarter to edge out Templeogue 94-90 in the National Basketball Arena.

Looking to shut down a three-game losing streak in the league, Rockets managed to haul this one out of the fire as they finished up with five players in double figures, among them, Megan Ormiston and Georgie McGrath on a combined 39 points, 26 rebounds and 13 assists.

Hannah Murphy, on game-best 33 points, and Genovea Johnson, on 22, enjoyed big returns for Templeogue, but even that was not enough to see them make it over the line on this occasion.