Conor Meany on basketball: Late error costs Éanna as Tralee take advantage
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Tralee have been searching for consistency for the past couple of weeks and this week they did see improvement as they beat Killorglin (without Jordan Blount) on Thursday and then Eanna on Saturday. In the Eanna game they were great for three quarters as they led by as many as 20. Youngster Joshua Osayanrhion gave them a big energy boost in the second quarter with eight points in three minutes as they built out a comfortable lead. The main concern though is that in the fourth they went back to being stagnant and Eanna got all the way back to tie the game. Tralee didn’t adjust to the referee’s whistle and Eanna’s free-throw shooting, hitting 14 in the fourth and 28/29 overall, almost got them to overtime. The reason they didn’t get to overtime is both a rare and unfortunate one for the Dubliners. Tralee tried to win through Marquavian Stephens but his attempted game-winner fell short. Eanna got the rebound and needlessly tried to throw the ball away to the other end of the floor. The ball hit the roof which meant it was Tralee’s ball again with 0.8 on the clock. Stephens got another chance at heroics and hit a game-winning three from the corner. Despite an awful month, Tralee sit second in the table at Christmas thanks to the two wins this week, while Eanna’s shaky month themselves (losing three of their last four) sees them slide to fifth.
After two recent losses in Cork, Killester came up with a key win over Brunell 86-78. Building in their huge win last week over Liffey Celtics, Killester needed to back it up with a gritty road win and Mark Grennell’s side delivered. What stands out most for me was the nature of the win. Sam Halby delivered like always with 28 points, but it was the supporting cast that carried Killester over the line this week. Hannah Thornton and Maeve O’Seaghda combined for 24 points, as Thornton had her best scoring game so far this season. The continued emergence of Leilani Turner has also given Killester a huge lift and if they continue to get steady contributions from those three, they will be right there with the top teams. The one ask for the coming weeks would be some more scoring from Destiny Strother, if they can get that, they will be right there when the trophies are handed out.
Wildcats survived their second scare in a week as they beat Portlaoise 70-66. Sarah Hickey scored eight of her 16 in the fourth to help secure the important win. Portlaoise got great production out of Lynn Tunnah and Amy Dooley who combined for 38 but they just didn’t have enough offense throughout the team. As each hurdle gets cleared, the case for Wildcats as title favourites increases and they’ll head into the New Year with big expectations, especially if healthy.
It has been a very challenging season so far for Mystics, who are missing key players, don’t have the same imports as other teams and are unable to compete with most of the Super League squads. Meteors showed no mercy on Saturday beating the Galway side 131-31. It’s a result that’s bad for everyone connected to the league and conversation around the game has been heated. Nobody wants to see anyone lose by such a big margin. Hopefully, Mystics will be able to regroup and continue to compete for the second half of the season before what looks like an inevitable relegation.
Sligo hosting Star was one of the important games of the year as both teams claw for the last playoff spots. Robert Montgomery led the way with 23 points, while the entire starting five had 13 points or more. The game was won on the defensive end though, particularly in the fourth quarter as Star couldn’t get into a rhythm, and finished on 79 points, their lowest total of the season. Sligo had to win the game to stay in touch with the playoff contenders, and they did their job. They now look ahead to a busy couple of weeks that includes a huge game against Killorglin on the 29h ,followed by the club’s first Cup semi-final in early January. For Star, it’s been the most challenging start to a season in a number of years and for them to be in 10th place after 11 games is incredibly strange. There are plenty of reasons to be positive though and they will expect a much better second half of the season with Deondre Jackson back. The American hit 29 last night and once he settles back in Star will be dangerous. They will need to get moving soon though and with three of their next four games against UCD Marian and St Vincents they will be expecting a big push.
Outside of Killester, Ballincollig are the form team in the country, winning five in a row and six of their last seven, including a 100-77 win over Vincents in Dublin. The team’s improved form coincides with Quashawn Lane’s arrival, and although the American is only averaging 15 a game, there’s a better offensive balance to the Cork side. One big factor in that spell is Adrian O’Sullivan’s form as he moved from 9.8 points a game to 13 a game. Ballincollig knew that their offense would take some time at the start of the year under a new coach, but they are clicking now and will be a team to watch for the second half of the year. For their opponents Vincents, it’s four losses in a row now and they are still definitely in a relegation battle.
Neptune got a second important win in a row as they beat Maree 80-76, despite missing Nils Sabata. Jaksa Sola and Chance Hunter did the damage combining for 47 but it was Daragh O’Sullivan’s heroics that won the game as he hit three big threes and 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as Neptune stole the game coming from seven down to win by four. Maree will be kicking themselves as they let a great chance to win slip. They remain three games behind Templeogue and Vincent’s and at the halfway point to the year they are running out of ground to catch them both.
Killester closed out the first half of the year with a routine win over Templeogue. The only standout thing from the game was that Killester only shot a single free throw, which is highly unusual and even more so for a team that scored 99 points. In total Templeogue only had three fouls which is inexcusable in a game that they lost by 35. Killester are too good to not put a hand on them to try and slow them down and Mark Keenan will have to be disappointed with his young side’s physicality.