It will be the clash of
the titans in Tralee Sports Complex this weekend as Garvey’s Tralee Warriors
prepare for an epic showdown with league leaders, Templeogue, in a
hugely-anticipated top of the table clash.
With everything at stake
for both sides, there’s going to be no easy victory, and Warriors star, Kieran
Donaghy admits it will come down to small margins on the day.
“We’ve a juggernaut
coming down here on Saturday night,” Donaghy stated. “This is a team with four
or five internationals, with one of the best Americans in the country, and
they’re top of the league for a reason. We need the crowd from the first minute
to the last next Saturday night. Bring drums, foghorns, whatever you can - it’s
about inches on Saturday night. A win here would move us closer to winning the
Super League, which, when we put this team together three years ago, we would
have only dreamed of doing.”
The sides have met twice
already this season, both of these clashes on Templeogue’s home turf of Oblate
Hall in Inchicore, and both of these clashes seeing Tralee come out on top –
including a massive Cup win that knocked the then reigning Cup champions out of
contention for this year’s Cup competition. Thus, with Templeogue still
smarting after losing at the hands of the Kerry men twice, there’s no doubt
that this weekend’s showdown in the Kingdom will be anything but a battle
royale.
“We’ll prepare and do our
job,” Templeogue’s Puff Summers stated ahead of the game. “We’ve seen them a
lot this year. Both teams are fairly familiar with each other. They’ve a new
American so we’ll have to contain him. They’re tough. They’re Championship
worthy, but we’re Championship worthy too. At this stage in the season, this is
what it’s all about.”
Elsewhere, reigning
league champions, UCD Marian, are also still in prime position to do a
back-to-back title win, and regardless of what happens in Kerry, have a
must-win clash against C and S Neptune to look forward to on Saturday. Neptune
will come into the game just as hungry though, as they need a big win in Dublin
in order to try to climb their way out of the relegation zone. Carrickmacross
in Co. Monaghan meanwhile is preparing for a taste of Super League basketball
as DCU Saints have moved their home fixture to the Monaghan town where they
will welcome UCC Demons in a battle for sixth place. Elsewhere, Belfast Star
hosts Keane’s SuperValu Killorglin while Pyrobel Killester face off against
Maree on Sunday evening.
Over in the Women’s Super
League meanwhile, the battles for top six positions are overheating, with DCU
Mercy, Ambassador UCC Glanmire, Fr Mathews, Singleton SuperValu Brunell, Maxol WIT Wildcats and Pyrobel Killester all
fighting for just five remaining spots. There are two crucial clashes in this
battle this weekend, with DCU Mercy on the road to Glanmire, while Wildcats
will host Fr Mathews in what is set to be one of the games of the weekend.
Elsewhere, Courtyard
Liffey Celtics will officially be crowned Women’s Super League champions on
Saturday night in their last home game against IT Carlow Basketball, Pyrobel
Killester and Marble City Hawks will be foes on the court on Saturday
meanwhile, but will join forces afterwards in a big celebration at the IWA in
Clontarf to mark International Women’s Day. The final match up of the weekend
sees Singleton SuperValu Brunell face off against Galway’s NUIG Mystics.
The Men’s Division One is
also heading into to the closing stages, with one of the picks of the weekend
being the top of the conferences clash between DBS Éanna and Tradehouse Central
Ballincollig in Dublin on Saturday night, while the Women’s Division One sides
may be finished their regular season, but have a big WNLC blitz to look forward
to at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght this coming Saturday, in a big
celebration of women’s basketball.
Basketball
Ireland Fixtures: March 8-10th
Friday 8th
March 2019
Basketball
Ireland Men’s Division One:
LIT v Bad Bobs Tolka Rovers,
St Marys Sports Hall, 20:00
Saturday 9th
March 2019
Basketball
Ireland Men’s Super League:
Belfast Star v Keanes
Supervalu Killorglin, De La Salle, 18:30
UCD Marian v CandS
Neptune, UCD Sports Centre-Belfield, 19:00
DCU Saints v UCC Demons,
Carrickmacross, 19:30
Garveys Tralee Warriors v
Templeogue, Tralee, 19:30
Basketball
Ireland Women’s Super League:
Pyrobel Killester v
Marble City Hawks, IWA-Clontarf, 17:00
Courtyard Liffey Celtics
v IT Carlow Basketball, Leixlip Amenities Centre, 19:30
Maxol WIT Wildcats v Fr
Mathews, Mercy SS Waterford, 19:00
Basketball
Ireland Men’s Division One:
Ulster University Elks v
Fr Mathews, Ulster University Elks, 15:00
LYIT Donegal v LIT, LYIT,
16:00
Bad Bobs Tolka Rovers v
IT Carlow Basketball, Tolka Rovers SC, 18:00
Abbey Seals Dublin Lions
v UL Sports Eagles, Colaiste Bride, 18:30
DBS Eanna v Tradehouse
Central Ballincollig, Colaiste Eanna, 19:00
EJ Sligo All-Stars v
Waterford Vikings, Mercy College, 19:30
KUBS BC v Scotts Lakers
St Pauls Killarney, Greendale, 20:00
Basketball
Ireland Women’s Division One
WNLC Women’s Division One
Blitz, National Basketball Arena Tallaght, From 10:00
Sunday 10th
March 2019
Basketball
Ireland Men’s Super League:
Pyrobel Killester v
Maree, IWA-Clontarf, 19:00
Basketball
Ireland Women’s Super League:
Ambassador UCC Glanmire v
DCU Mercy, Mardyke Arena, 13:30
Singleton SuperValu
Brunell v NUIG Mystics, Parochial Hall, 14:45
Basketball
Ireland Men’s Division One:
GameFootage.net Titans v
Portlaoise Panthers, The Jes, 15:30
