BASKETBALL: UCD MARIAN and Killester celebrated victories in the SuperLeague at the weekend in preparation for their National Cup final match-up.
And Belfast Star marked derby success, DCU overtook UCC Demons and the UL Eagles continued their reign in the Southern Conference.
UCD Marian will now redirect their focus to the Cup final after defeating Moycullen 91-73.
UCD coach Fran Ryan expressed his delight at the comfortable win and the chance for his side to switch their focus back to the Cup.
“We haven’t spoken about the Cup final but this is a big win for us” said Ryan. “We played well and were able to score 50 points in the second half alone, which is a great feat.”
Killester narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of Neptune by edging past the Cork team by a single point, 63-62.
In an intense and scrappy game, Killester coach Mark Keenan noted his relief at the victory and praised his side’s defending.
“Definitely a scrappy, low-scoring game and we didn’t hit full form or our usual standards,” said Keenan, “But we did overturn a nine-point deficit and had a great defensive stance, so I am delighted with the win.
“It’s good to get the game out of the way so we can now fully concentrate on the weekend.”
Belfast Star turned defeat into triumph on Sunday during a northern derby against Ulster Elks, 93-80.
Star’s Scotty Sommersgill contributed 30 points in the victory after the Belfast team suffered a devastating loss against UL the night before.
Star coach Danny Fulton praised his team’s efforts in bouncing back. “We played much better and found a way to win in the rebounding and on defence and I am much happier with our performance today than Saturday night’s.”
DCU Saints notched a significant victory against UCC Demons 94-73.
UL Eagles cruised past Belfast Star 91-55 Saturday night in De La Salle College.
Eagles’ Cameron Mitchell and Matt Hall combined for 55 points and Limerick’s shielding defence allowed Star’s top scorer, Clayton Longmire, only 16 points.
Meanwhile, in a return to the Women’s SuperLeague, Team Montenotte Hotel Cork and Waterford Wildcats celebrated narrow victories.
TMH Cork retained their top league position by defeating Oblate Black Forge Dynamos 77-70 with an impressive 29-point contribution from Claire Rockall.
Montenotte coach Mark Scannell expressed his delight at the chance for the younger players to get more experience in close-game situations.
“We were down by six points at one time and the younger players were able to bring the game back to two points – that is great for their confidence.”
Waterford Wildcats returned to league action with a defeat handed to Killester, 49-43.
Irish International Kate Maher led the scoring for the Wildcats with 10 points as the Waterford team looked for justice after last weekend’s loss in the Cup semi-finals.
