Another big weekend in store as battle for top spots heats up while Maree women set for promotion to Super League

There’s another interesting weekend of basketball action in store across the country in the coming days as the battle for top spots across the divisions heats up.

In the Men’s Super League, league leaders, Templeogue, face a tricky fixture away to Dublin neighbours, DCU Saints on Saturday evening. Saints already caused the upset against Mark Keenan’s side in the teams’ first encounter earlier this season, and will be hoping to repeat that result in their home court this weekend. This is a game that Templeogue will really need to get the points from though in order to hold their spot at the top firm, but they have Garvey’s Tralee Warriors – who have games in hand and the same loss record as them – firmly chasing on their heels. Warriors also have an extremely tough task ahead of them this weekend as they face Belfast Star who come into the fixture off the back of a hard-earned win against C and S Neptune down in Cork last weekend.

UCD Marian are also continuing the chase, but face a tricky opposition in the form of Keane’s SuperValu Killorglin, who are hoping that home advantage will give them the edge on Saturday evening. A win here for the Kerry team would help keep them off the bottom of the table. Speaking of the bottom of the table, the battles there are just as ferocious with old rivals, Maree and Neptune going head-to-head in what’s set to be a cracker in Galway. Maree then face UCC Demons in a re-fixed home game on Sunday afternoon. Moycullen meanwhile face the test of Pyrobel Killester who come into the game off the back of a tough loss in Tralee last weekend.

Over in the Women’s Super League meanwhile, two games will take centre stage on Friday evening as Marble City Hawks welcome near neighbours IT Carlow Basketball to Kilkenny, while an in-form Maxol WIT Wildcats will travel to Singleton SuperValu Brunell in a must-win clash for both sides to keep their slots in the top six secure.

Elsewhere, table toppers Courtyard Liffey Celtics have an interesting home fixture to look forward to this weekend as they welcome Mark Scannell’s charges from Ambassador UCC Glanmire. Liffey sit top of the table with 13 wins and one loss, with DCU Mercy, Glanmire and Fr Mathews in joint second place behind them on 10 wins and four losses each. Speaking of Fr Mathews, they face a tough home fixture against an on-form Pyrobel Killester on Saturday evening, while bottom of the table NUIG Mystics will be hoping that this weekend will be the one where their luck will turn when they host DCU Mercy in Galway.

This weekend will also see the culmination of the Women's Division One season, with newcomers, Maree, set to be crowned league champions on Saturday evening in Galway. The squad - who also won this year's Hula Hoops Women's Division One National Cup in January - will now be promoted to the Women's Super League for the 2019/2020 season.
 

Basketball Ireland Fixtures: February 22-24^th, 2019

Friday 22nd February 2019

Basketball Ireland Women’s Super League   

Marble City Hawks v IT
Carlow Basketball, O Loughlins GAA, 19:00;

Singleton SuperValu
Brunell v Maxol WIT Wildcats, Parochial Hall, 19:15;

Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One

GameFootage.net Titans v
LIT, The Jes, 20:00;

Saturday 23rd February 2019       

Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League   

Belfast Star v Garvey’s
Tralee Warriors, De La Salle, 18:30;

DCU Saints v Templeogue,
DCU Complex, 19:00;

Keanes Supervalu
Killorglin v UCD Marian, Killorglin Sports Centre, 19:15;

Moycullen v Pyrobel
Killester, NUIG, 19:30;

Maree v CandS Neptune, Calasanctius College-Galway, 20:00;           

Basketball Ireland Women’s Super League  

NUIG Mystics v DCU Mercy,
NUIG, 16:30;

Fr Mathews v Pyrobel
Killester, Fr Mathews Arena, 17:00;

Courtyard Liffey Celtics
v Ambassador UCC Glanmire, Leixlip Amenities Centre, 19:00;

Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One   

Ulster University Elks v
Limerick Celtics, Ulster University Elks, 13:00;

LYIT Donegal v UL Sports
Eagles, LYIT, 16:00;

Bad Bobs Tolka Rovers v
Waterford Vikings, Tolka Rovers SC, 18:00;

Abbey Seals Dublin Lions
v IT Carlow Basketball, Colaiste Bride, 18:30;

DBS Eanna v Scotts Lakers
St Pauls Killarney, Colaiste Eanna, 19:00;

EJ Sligo All-Stars v Fr
Mathews, Mercy College, 19:30;

KUBS BC v Portlaoise
Panthers, Greendale, 20:00;        
           

Basketball Ireland Women’s Division One  

Ulster University Elks v
Team Tom McCarthys St Mary’s, Ulster University, 15:00;

Maree v Phoenix Rockets,
Calsanctius College, 17:00;

Swords Thunder v Limerick
Celtics, ALSAA-Dublin, 17:30;

Portlaoise Panthers v
Trinity Meteors, St Mary’s Sports Hall, 19:30;

Sunday 24th February 2019

Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League

Maree v UCC Demons,
Calasanctius College-Galway, 15:00;