REIGNING Hula Hoops National Cup champions Ambassador UCC Glanmire kept their bid for five Cup titles in a row on track this evening with a stunning performance against Pyrobel Killester at the IWA in Clontarf.
A phenomenal first half performance from the Cork side saw them drive into a 32-60 point lead at the break, with Ashley Prim and Claire Rockall the stand out stars of the opening two quarters. Solid defence from Casey Grace and Grainne Dwyer kept Glanmire ahead as the third quarter got underway, with Killester’s Aisling McCann and Ella McCloskey bagging some vital scores to keep them in touch.
A dazzling display from Glanmire’s top scorer, Aine McKenna, however, put the result beyond doubt and Glanmire have now teed themselves up for a hugely-anticipated Cork derby clash with Singleton SuperValu Brunell in a repeat of last year’s Cup semi-final.
“It was very tough, but we were brilliant,” said head coach Mark Scannell. “The first half performance is the best performance I’ve seen from any team I’ve ever coached.
“I thought our defence was spot on tonight, and I was delighted with our offence. Everyone contributed – no one needed to be the star. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this season, but it’s in January that they start giving out trophies so we’re exactly where we want to be at this time of the year – and we’re back where we belong in the Cup semi-final next weekend.”
Elsewhere, it was regular Super League action in the men’s League and it was Trae Pemberton who dashed the hopes of Dubliners KUBS this evening, as two late free-throws saw the Kerry team win out by just one point (70-71), denying KUBS their first win of the season.
Belfast Star meanwhile had the better of Éanna, while Moycullen shot the lights out in Cork to overcome UCC Demons at the Mardyke, 94-117.
“It was hard to know what way it was going to go, especially coming off the CHristmas break,” said Belfast Star head coach, Darren O’Neill. “We got out well early on, which was good and it gave us an advantage that we were able to hold on to until the end of the game. They came back at us in the second half, but we survived to hold on for the win.”
Basketball Ireland Results: December 30th
Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League:
UCC Demons 94-117 Moycullen
Éanna 71-81 Belfast Star
KUBS BC 70-71 Garvey’s Tralee Warriors
Hula Hoops Women’s National Cup quarter-final:
Pyrobel Killester 74-89 Ambassador UCC Glanmire
Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One:
Scotts Lakers St. Paul’s Killarney 65-60 EL Sligo All Stars
Basketball Ireland Detailed Results: December 30th
Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League:
UCC Demons 94-117 Moycullen
Top scorers UCC Demons: Lehmon Colbert 26, Kyle Hosford 21, DarcoBucan 15
Top scorers Moycullen: Brandon McGuire 26, James Loughane 22, Paddy Lyons 19
Half time score: UCC Demons 49-58 Moycullen
