Conor Meany on basketball: a big weekend for Wildcats
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At different times on Saturday, it looked like Liffey Celtics were going to have the ideal day before it turned into a nightmare instead. Waterford Wildcats went to St Paul’s Killarney and with Kate Hickey missing large parts of the game, Waterford’s depth was tested as they went back and forth with St Paul’s. Wildcats typically dominate the boards in games, but in this one they were hammered inside by Megan Ormiston and Lorraine Scanlon in particular. The Kerry side showed some of the promise we expected preseason challenging the league leaders throughout and could have come away with more. Wildcats' defense put an end to that threat as they came out on top in the fourth, limiting Paul’s to just 16 points as they came from four down to win by 5, 82-77. It was exactly the type of battle champions win, and Gillian Hayes will be delighted to sit top of the table heading into the last week before Christmas.
Things got even better for Wildcats as co-leaders Liffey Celtics lost away to Killester in overtime despite leading for the entire game. Leading by as many as 17, Liffey were on top with Alex Navarette back with the Kildare side. Leilani Turner helped Killester claw their way back into the game with 13 second half points including a huge three that ultimately sent the game to overtime. In OT, Michele Clarke showed her incredible leadership scoring seven of Killester’s 11 points, including her own three with less than 30 seconds to go to tie it. Sarah Courtney then was the hero as her free throws gave Killester the lead for good in the final seconds and they are officially back in the title race with the 74-72 win. Liffey now have two losses, one behind Wildcats and just one ahead of Killester and Glanmire (who beat Mystics 89-71).
It was only a month ago, that Tralee looked untouchable. Now one month later, they are out of the Cup and have lost four straight league games. This weekend they lost twice at home, which would have been unthinkable in previous years. So what has gone wrong? There doesn’t look to be one single issue, as Tralee have missed different players through injury and suspension, but outside of Rapolas Buivydas it’s hard to find anyone who has given Tralee consistent production over the past month. It’s often easy to blame Americans, but something is wrong with the duo of Marquavian Stephens and Brandon Mahaon. Stephens decimated UCD Marian earlier in the year and yet looked like he was either carrying an injury or disinterested on Sunday. Brandon Mahon’s struggles have been more consistent and suddenly Tralee are looking like a team looking to rediscover an identity. The one positive on Sunday was the return of Ryan Leonard, who scored 13 points in his first action back in over a year.
UCD Marian, fresh up from the National League, have been very competitive this season but haven’t always won tight games. That changed over the weekend with a double overtime win over Killorglin, followed by an 82-81 win less than 24 hours later against Tralee. The two wins for the Dublin side were noticeably different with Jon Jean and Lovre Tvrdic combining for 68 against Killorglin in a high scoring game. On Sunday the duo only combined for 31 but there were contributions from all over with Tanner Graham having a fantastic weekend and James Connaire showing why he’s seen as one of the up-and-coming contributors in the league. Marian showed no lasting effects of the double overtime game the night before and ran out to a 29-8 lead before eventually holding on to win by 1. The win gets Marian fans looking up the table for the first time, wondering whether a playoff push could be possible, although survival remains the primary goal. One of the teams they will have to compete with for a playoff spot, are Killorglin, who had a rotten weekend losing in double overtime Saturday, before losing in overtime on Sunday against Eanna.
As their rivals around the league falter, Killester are the most consistent force in the men’s league at the moment. The three-headed monster of Paul Dick, Kason Harrell and Isiah Dasher consistently combine for over 60 points, and Killester’s offensive power can be seen as they routinely score in the high 90s or early 100s at the moment. There is depth, experience and great guard play which is a recipe for success in Ireland. At 9-2, they are at least two games ahead of the chasing pack and it’s hard to see much change in that over the coming months. They will have their eyes on Cup and League glory and if they continue playing as well as they are currently, it’s hard to see who will stop them.
Another double header weekend, and another set of wins for Demons as they continue to push up the table. Last year’s inconsistency is largely gone and they are getting brilliant performances week in and week out now. Toby Christensen had his best weekend of the year, with big scoring efforts against both Tralee and Star. The Dane struggled early on in his debut Super League season but has found a role now that he’s producing well in. The other standout for Demons has been James Hannigan who is now consistently producing and is such a threat on a nightly basis. Hannigan’s four threes in a row blew the game open against Tralee and he had more timely scores on Sunday as they beat Belfast.
On Sunday, Neptune bounced back from another poor home performance to beat Templeogue on the road. With Marian’s unexpected Kerry double, and their loss to Belfast, Neptune suddenly found themselves in a game that if they lost to Templeogue again, they would be tied on wins with the Dubliners. A late surge from the Cork side saw them push clear of Templeogue, who had a rotten weekend, as they also lost to an Eoin Rockall buzzer-beater in Galway on Saturday. Maree with their one win and loss over the weekend are now almost back to zero points (after their 18-point deduction). They are just three games behind both Vincents and Templeogue and will have high hopes of catching them. To do so they will have to do it without Jarret Haines who has departed and been replaced by Miles Brown who had 22 against Templeogue but just eight in the loss to Ballincollig.