St Vincent's steady climb

BASKETBALL: St Vincent's are fast becoming favourites to win the 2005 Superleague after they produced two superb performances over the weekend to move within two points of struggling Killester at the top of the north conference.

The advantage for domestic basketball of St Vincent's steady climb is that the majority of their key players are Irish, as opposed to some teams who refuse to focus enough on their youth policy to the detriment of the game here.

Granted Mike Trimmer and Paul Tonkavich are imports but players like Stephen McGuirk and the Donnelly brothers (Emmet, David and James) are the reason why the progress continues apace.

Also they are a team; remarkably, six of their players have broken the 100-point mark already this season.

On Saturday they emphatically lived up to the top billing by beating Killester for the second consecutive week, this time away from home, on Saturday night with McGuirk contributing 23-points.

Then yesterday they hammered crisis ridden UCD 104-85 with David Donnelly shooting 20-points.

Their momentum now appears only likely to be stopped from the form team down south. And that will not necessarily be defending champions the Tralee Tigers who struggled to overcome bottom side Waterford yesterday.

Both the UCC Demons and Neptune recorded victories over the Killarney Lakers and Limerick Lions respectively to lay down their credentials for the coming weeks.

After chopping and changing their foreign brigade, Ballina look to have rediscovered their early season form with victory over UCD on Saturday. New American Elijah Warren shot 40-points while veterans Liam McHale and Deora Marsh (24 points) both defied their age with inspirational showings.

The only other game over the weekend saw Shamrock Rovers Hoops edge out Star of the Sea. Junior player Ciaran White had a big game with 15 rebounds and 14 points.

Meanwhile, in the woman's Superleague Glanmire came agonisingly close to ending UL Aughinish's two year-plus unbeaten record but, as ever, Michelle Aspell made a timely intervention to put the Limerick side in front for the first time with just 14 seconds to go.