Tradehouse Central Ballincollig, DBS Éanna, C&S Neptune and Garvey’s Tralee Warriors are into the InsureMyVan.ie Super League semi-finals after coming through their quarter-finals on Saturday.
North Conference champions DBS Éanna have secured a home semi-final against Garvey’s Tralee Warriors, following their 86-77 win over NUIG Maree.
Darren McGovern’s side were pushed all the way by a determined NUIG Maree at Coláiste Eanna. The home side led 52-39 at half-time, before the Galway club launched a fightback to trail 64-61 by the end of the third.
Adrian O'Neill Reports:
Darren McGovern, DBS Éanna head coach, was pleased with how his side responded to NUIG Maree’s third quarter run.
“Obviously we are thrilled to win. It was down to our guys experience at executing the game plan on both ends. They had a run in them, but we stood firm and delivered a great last quarter. This puts us in a home semi-final, which is a huge bonus for us next weekend. It's all about rest, recovery and prep now for us”, he stated.
NUIG Maree head coach, Charlie Crowley, praised the efforts of his players to battle their way back into the contest. “It’s disappointing that we couldn’t get the result we wanted today. We did a lot of good stuff offensively, but we didn’t get the boards on the defensive end. Going down 20 and then having them on the ropes, the game really had it all. The fight that the guys showed was a different level, just we didn’t get that rub of the green when you need it.”
Mark Reynolds top scored for DBS Éanna, on 19, with Stefan Zecevic on 17 and Romonn Nelson on 16. For NUIG Maree their scoring was headed by Luka Kraljic (17) Deondre Jackson (17) and Lovre Tvrdic (13).
Elsewhere...
Runaway South Conference champions Tradehouse Central Ballincollig defeated Griffith College Templeogue 85-79, in a closely run affair at Ballincollig Community School. Tradehouse Central Ballincollig led by five at the end of half-time, 42-37, but Griffith College Templeogue got within two points by the end of the third, trailing 59-57.
Tradehouse Central Ballincollig head coach Kieran O’Sullivan was pleased to negotiate his way through to the final four after a tricky test.
“Our initial thoughts are one of relief. The pressure was on us today and our lads responded when needed. Templeogue have a team of champions and went down fighting today. A proud team and made life difficult for us all through. The home advantage was key in the end. We are now looking forward to a home semi-final in our first year”, O’Sullivan said.
Andre Nation top scored once more for the victors, on 25, while Adrian O'Sullivan had 19 and Milorad Sedlarevic hit 17.
Lorcan Murphy continued his fine recent form as the game’s top scorer, on 28, with Lawrence ‘Puff’ Summers ending on 12, while Enrique Melini and Jason Killeen had 10 apiece.
Griffith College Templeogue head coach Mark Keenan added: “Obviously we were very disappointed to come away with the loss today to Ballincollig, but to give credit to them, they have been excellent at home all season. I am very proud of the way our guys played today and we battled right to the death. We wish Ballincollig the very best of luck going forward.”
Tradehouse Central Ballincollig will play C&S Neptune in the last four, after Colin O’Reilly’s side picked up their third away win at the IWA this season, defeating Killester 90-84. The Cork club’s also won their InsureMyHouse.ie Pat Duffy National Cup quarter-final and a regular season Super League game at the same venue.
C&S Neptune player/coach Colin O’Reilly said: “Really happy with the win. It takes a lot to beat a team three times in one season in their home gym and to do it under the pressure of the playoffs is huge for us as a group. We had some quality performances across the team and different guys stepped up at different stages to make to crucial plays to keep us ahead.”
There was little between the sides in the opening quarter, C&S Neptune ahead by a single point, 22-21. That lead was six at half-time, 45-39 and stretched it to ten, 70-60, going into the final quarter. Killester did narrow the gap in the fourth, but it was too little too late.
Ireland international Roy Downey top scored for C&S Neptune, on 20 points, followed by Richaud Gittens (17) and Alex Terradellas (16). There was another huge performance Kason Harrell, who racked up 37 points for Killester, while Ireland international Ciaran Roe had 17 and Tomas Fernandez Zerolo scored 10.
Brian O’Malley, Killester head coach, lamented his sides defeat. “Very disappointed tonight, we didn't really perform, lots of that is credit to Neptune. We started brightly and had them under a bit of pressure, but they had a run in the second quarter that took them into the lead and they looked steady from then. We were quite sloppy and then when push came to shove down the stretch we missed some open looks, had a few calls go against us and Neptune were able to manage out the last couple of minutes. Disappointing end for us, Neptune had our number, they beat us three times in our place, so we can't have any complaints.”
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors are into the semi-finals after negotiating their way past UCD Marian 88-71 at Tralee Sports Complex. The win didn’t appear in doubt when they built a 15 point lead, 42-27, by half-time. They stretched that advantage to 18 by the end of the third, 64-46.
Aaron Calixte top scored for the winners 28 points, with Ireland international Eoin Quigley hitting 14 points, while Kieran Donaghy and Daniel Jokubaitis had 11 each.
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors head coach John Dowling said: “We were happy with our performance overall, there are still areas to improve for next week’s semi-final against Éanna. We are under no illusions on the task ahead, Éanna in Éanna is the hardest game, but we’re looking for a massive performance in Dublin next week and with knockout basketball anything can happen.”
For UCD Marian, the ever-dangerous Jonathan Jean hit 28 points and the in-form Conor Meany had 21.
UCD Marian head coach Josko Srzic added: “Congratulations to Tralee, they were the better team tonight, a well-deserved win. Despite tonight’s result, like many games this season our guys fought until the end. I can only thank our players and the staff who have worked hard every week this season, having only six players in rotation most of the season, due to injuries and a few guys that have missed almost whole season, but fought to return in the last few games to try to help the team.”
UCC Demons, EJ Sligo All-Stars, IT Carlow and Grand Hotel Malahide reach InsureMyVan.ie Division 1 semi’s
North Conference winners EJ Sligo All-Stars got past Fr. Mathews, 91-86, in the InsureMyVan.ie Division 1 quarter-finals. Shane O’Meara, EJ Sligo All-Stars head coach, said: “Delighted to get over the line against a very well coached Fr. Mathew's side. We had the dream start going 14-0 up, but they came back at us and made a great game of it. The home crowd got great value for money tonight and will hopefully be back to support us next weekend.”
Fr. Mathews came into the game undefeated in six-matches, and responded to their sluggish start to the game, bringing it level at 26-26 by the end of the first quarter.
Ej Sligo All-Stars had a 46-40 half-time lead, and a five point advantage by the end of third 64-59 and won by the same margin. Their leading scorers were Keith Jordan Jr. (28), Oisin O’Reilly (22) and Zack Powell (21). For Fr. Mathews, their offensive efforts were headed by Jonathon Garcia (24), Diego O’Herlihy (20) and Brian O’Neill (17).
Ej Sligo All-Stars will now face IT Carlow in the last four after Martin Conroy’s side brushed off their poor recent form, which had seem them lose three on the bounce, to defeat Drogheda Wolves 81-71.
Speaking afterwards head coach Conroy said: “We got away to an unbelievable start today, holding Wolves scoreless for almost eight minutes in the first quarter. Our team defence was superb and we also did a great job the other end. Wolves are a great side though and they chipped away at us, getting it to five points in the fourth. We showed some great composure down the stretch and made our free throws when it mattered. Our home support was magnificent and we sure hope some of them will make the trip to Sligo next weekend.“
Top of the scoring charts for IT Carlow was Nate Schafer (18), Jordan Fallon (18), Armands Vaikuls (13) and Kevin Donohoe (12), while Drogheda Wolves’ leaders were Jubril Alade (18), Guilherme Vilela (14) and Adam Mullally (13).
Grand Hotel Malahide were 102-73 winners over Limerick Sport Eagles on Saturday, to set up a semi-final against UCC Demons, who defeated Abbey Seals Dublin Lions 79-69 on Sunday.
Sean Ingle, Grand Hotel Malahide head coach stated: “We’re delighted with the win. Everybody stepped up tonight and contributed on both ends of the floor. It was a great overall team performance. Commiserations to UL and congrats on a great season. We’re looking forward to next week’s challenge.”
For Grand Hotel Malahide there were big contributions from Trevor Recio (24), Kev Foley (19) and Cillian O’Driscoll (16), while Manny Peyton was once again Limerick Sport Eagles’ top man with 31 points.
South Conference winners UCC Demons will have home advantage in the semi-finals against Grand Hotel Malahide. They had to battle past Abbey Seals Dublin Lions, the sides were within reaching distances throughout the whole game, but a 22-9 second quarter from UCC Demons proved vital. Heading the scoring charts for UCC Demons were Toby Christensen (28), Tala Fam Thiam (24) and Ireland captain Kyle Hosford (9). As for Abbey Seals Dublin Lions, Kevin Anuanwu led the way with 27 points, Finn Hughes shot 12, as Muhammed Sabic ended up with 11.
Speaking after the win, UCC Demons head coach Daniel O’Mahony praised the collective effort: “It was a really tough game and in-fairness to Lions they kept coming back at up for the entire game. Unfortunately for both teams, some key players were in and out of rotation due to fouls, so it gave some other guys an opportunity to step up when needed.
Lions shoot the ball really well and spread the floor making it difficult to guard. At this stage in the season, it’s all about survive and advance so for us it’s all geared up to a home quarter final against Malahide.”
WIT Waterford Wildcats and DCU Mercy seal MissQuote.ie Champions Trophy semi-final berths
WIT Waterford Wildcats were 79-55 winners over Liffey Celtics in the MissQuote.ie Champions Trophy quarter-finals on Saturday, to book a last four game at Singleton SuperValu Brunell next weekend, while DCU Mercy edged a close Dublin derby, defeating Killester 80-77 on Sunday and will now travel to The Address UCC Glanmire in the last four.
WIT Waterford Wildcats were 27-14 in front at the end of opening quarter against Liffey Celtics and had a 16 point advantage by half-time, 47-31.
Liffey Celtics failed to make inroads in the second half, with WIT Waterford Wildcats winning by 24 points in the end. Jasmin Walker top scored for the home side on 14 points, followed closely by Sarah Hickey and Stephanie O’Shea, who had 13 each.
Tommy O’Mahony, WIT Waterford Wildcats head coach, said: “I’m delighted to get the win, I thought we starting the game really well by being really clinical on offence and just being solid on defence. Liffey caused use problems in the second half, but I thought the girls worked really hard to weather the storm and we were able to keep our noses in front. In fairness we have worked really hard over the last few weeks and it has showed on the court. We know next weekend is going to be a really difficult game, so we need to have a good week in training so we are ready for Brunell.”
Liffey Celtics offence was headed by Ciara Bracken on 17 points, with Adrienne Jackson on 9, and Ailbhe O’Connor, Emi Guimond and Sorcha Tiernan on eight each.
DCU Mercy who will face off against MissQuote.ie Super League champions, The Address UCC Glanmire, after their narrow victory over Killester on Sunday. Bailey Greenberg top scored on 24 points for DCU Mercy, followed closely by Rachel Huijsdens on 22 and Alarie Mayze on 21. On the scoring charts for Killester were Myah Taylor (21), Shannon Powell (19) and Mimi Clarke (10). Speaking after the win, DCU Mercy head coach Mark Ingle said: “It was a great game of basketball and a very high skill level from both teams. We are delighted with that win, as Killester played great stuff in the first and went 15 points up, but our girls knuckled down and fought back to level at the half. It was nip and tuck then until the end, but we got a couple of vital stops on defence to get the win.”
Griffith College Templeogue and Portlaoise Panthers win their MissQuote.ie Division 1 League Cup Quarter-Finals
There were two MissQuote.ie Division 1 League Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, Griffith College Templeogue defeated Tipperary Knights 80-68 at St. Michaels College.
Griffith College Templeogue’s leading scorers were Lynn Tunnah (27), Hannah Murphy (20) and Jah Leah Ellis (15), as for Tipperary Knights their main offensive threats came from Emma Carey (17), Lilla Szucs (16) and Meabh Humphreys (15). Griffith College Templeogue’s prize is a semi-final at MissQuote.ie Division 1 League champions NUIG Mystics.
Portlaoise Panthers ran out 79-60 winners over LYIT Donegal, with Antigonie Sanabria (15), Shauna Dooley (13) and Ciara Byrne (13) playing key roles. They will now travel to Ulster University in the semi-finals.
There were standout performances from LYIT Donegal’s two underage Irish internationals Shannon Cunningham and Emma Gribben, who shot 25 and 20 points respectively.
InsureMyVan.ie Super League Playoff Quarter-Final Results
Saturday 19th March
DBS Éanna 86-77 NUIG Maree
Tradehouse Central Ballincollig 85-79 Griffith College Templeogue
Killester 84-90 C&S Neptune
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 88-71 UCD Marian
MissQuote.ie Champions Trophy Quarter-Final Results
Saturday 19th March
WIT Waterford Wildcats 79-55 Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtics
Sunday 20th March
DCU Mercy 80-77 Killester
InsureMyVan.ie Division 1 Quarter-Final Results
Saturday 19th March
IT Carlow 81-71 Drogheda Wolves
Grand Hotel Malahide 102-73 Limerick Sport Eagles
EJ Sligo All-Stars 91-86 Fr. Mathews
Sunday 20th March
UCC Demons 76-69 Abbey Seals Dublin Lions
MissQuote.ie Division 1 League Cup Quarter-Finals Results
Saturday 19th March
Griffith College Templeogue 80-68 Tipperary Knights
Portlaoise Panthers 79-60 LYIT Donegal
Next week’s fixtures:
InsureMyVan.ie Super League Playoff Semi-Final Fixtures (to be played weekend of 26th/27th March)
DBS Éanna v Garvey’s Tralee Warriors
Tradehouse Central Ballincollig v C&S Neptune
MissQuote.ie Champions Trophy Semi-Final Fixtures (to be played weekend of 26th/27th March)
The Address UCC Glanmire v DCU Mercy
Singleton SuperValu Brunell v WIT Waterford Wildcats
MissQuote.ie Division 1 League Cup Semi-Final Fixtures (to be played weekend of 26th/27th March)
NUIG Mystics v Griffith College Templeogue
Ulster University v Portlaoise Panthers
