Men’s Superleague
Maree have a chance to regather themselves following an unexpected 35-point blowout last weekend in Cork to Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @ MTU. Having three players as joint top scorers is usually a great sign of team basketball, however when the point tally is 13 it leaves much to be desired. Both Jarret Haines and Eoin Rockall were held to single digits and round 1’s top scorer Zvonimir Cutuk was held scoreless for the first time in his 3 year stint with Maree.
This week they’re back in Galway and face winless side Bright St Vincent’s. The hungry Dublin side will enter the weekend playing the first of a double header where they also face EJ Sligo All Stars in Sligo the next day. Head Coach Carter Vance will have to balance players for the one day turnaround and also decide which game is more winnable, which on form you would have to say Sligo should be the target.
Early Men’s Super League pace-setters Garvey’s Tralee Warriors and Griffith College Éanna have the chance to extend their unbeaten run to six games during the second double game weekend of the season.
The Tralee Sports Complex has become a fortress for Warriors in recent seasons and they begin a run of three successive home ties against Energywise Ireland Neptune on Friday evening, before Belfast Star end a two-day trip to Kerry at the Complex on basketballireland.tv. Marquavian Stephens has been all energy thus far and with Irish international Rapolas Buivydas hitting form ahead the upcoming international window in November, Neptune will be up against it to rebound from their first loss of the season going on the road.
Griffith College Éanna’s winning streak now stands at 15 games following their win over Flexachem KCYMS in week three. That run extends back to a 110-91 defeat to Killester last January and it’s they’ll be aiming to avoid lightening striking twice at Coláiste Éanna in Friday night’s other Men’s Super League fixture. Their opponents ground out a win on the road in Sligo a week ago and will enter the contest looking to avenge April’s Men’s Super League final defeat at the National Basketball Arena.
Flexachem KCYMS have Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU and Maree BC breathing down their necks for third place as they eye up fixtures against Belfast Star and Killester during the Bank Holiday weekend. Jordan Blount is averaging a double-double for the Kerry side in a blistering start to the season by the Irish international.
Eight teams will make the post-season playoffs at the conclusion of the regular season and with Belfast Star and Templeogue getting off the mark in week three, it’s imperative that Dublin duo Bright St. Vincent’s and UCD Marian avoid the unenviable tag of being the last team in the league without a win.
UCD Marian host Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU on Saturday, before a Dublin derby away to Templeogue Monday afternoon. Jonathan Jean continues to be a spark for them offensively, but he will have to get some help in order to get them off the mark.
Templeogue boss Mark Keenan expressed his delight after his side came from behind to beat Energywise Ireland Neptune in Cork last weekend. Immanuel Allen and Tavias Fagan sit first and second in the scoring charts in the Men’s Super League and they look to build on that momentum with successive Dublin derbies. Two wins from two could see them leap as high as sixth in the table should other results go their way.
Elsewhere, EJ Sligo All-Stars are in 11th with a game in hand on the majority of the league. They take on old foes UCC Demons in their opening game of the weekend in the Mardyke Arena. Tom Child returned from his one game absence at the point in their 87-80 loss to Killester, but there are plenty of positives for head coach Shane O’Meara as his new look side continue to gel.
Their opponents sit 7th in the standings after they came up short against Belfast Star in overtime following a Max Richardson three at the end of regulation. The matchup between Elijah Tillman and John Carroll will be worth the admission fee alone.SETU Waterford Wildcats will have the chance to draw level with FloMAX Liffey Celtics at the summit of the Women’s Super League on Saturday evening as the unbeaten league leaders making the trip to the Southeast.
Women’s Superleague
It’s FloMAX Liffey Celtics third road trip to start the season, having already picked up wins in Killarney and Portlaoise to go with last weekend’s 77-65 win over Trinity Meteors in Leixlip.
The home side held a 20-point advantage at one stage of the contest, before being pegged back in the closing quarter. “We’ve a lot more to come,” insisted head coach Karl Kilbride following his side’s 12 point win over Meteors and they’ll need to find that extra gear this weekend.
Wildcats have bounced back well from a narrow opening day defeat to Killester, dismantling Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell, before a tense 69-65 win against The Address UCC Glanmire in week three. Chelsea Cain really found her feet on the glass in that win, picking up nine offensive boards in her 21-rebound total. Should they make it three wins on the spin, Jillian Hayes’ team could finish the Bank Holiday weekend at the top of the table for the first time this season.
Killester, Catalyst Fr. Mathews and Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell fill out the top-half of the Women’s Super League on 2-1 records. Further wins for the trio against Utility Trust St. Paul’s, Trinity Meteors and The Address UCC Glanmire respectively would create definitive separation in the standings at this early stage in the season.
Arguably the most difficult assignment to call will be the Cork derby between Brunell and Glanmire.
An impressive 20 point display by Ireland U18 international Ava Walshe and another homegrown talent in Kelly Sexton got the Nellies over the line against St. Paul’s in the absence of Lauryn Homan and the departed Jordan Vasquez. Deaja Richardson was impressive on debut and with the return of leading scorer Trinity Hudson – head coach Liam Culloty will be expecting his team to show further progress back on their home floor for a second Sunday in a row.
It’s back-to-back defeats for The Address UCC Glanmire since their win over Trinity Meteors in game week one. They haven’t lost three in succession in more than four years. Deljanae Williams was the dominant presence during their defeat to SETU Waterford Wildcats, as Callie Cavanaugh couldn’t repeat her 49-point performance from week two.
At the other end of the table University of Galway Mystics shipped more than 100 points for the second week on the spin in their 112-50 loss to Killester in Clontarf. They will feel that they are in cooler waters on paper at least against Midland Park Portlaoise Panthers, though a boisterous home crowd in Portlaoise will be confident of victory for their side.
Alyssa Velles has continued where she left off last season, while Lynn Tunnah and Amy Dooley are building chemistry in the paint on a weekly basis that should only take another big step forward here to jump to 2-2.
Fixtures
Men’s Super League
Friday October 25th
Griffith College Éanna vs Killester, Coláiste Éanna, 1930
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors vs Energywise Ireland Neptune, Tralee Sports Complex, 2000
Saturday October 26th
UCD Marian vs Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU, UCD Sports Centre, 1900 Flexachem KCYMS vs Belfast Star, Killorglin Sports Complex, 1915
Sunday October 27th
UCC Demons vs EJ Sligo All-Stars, Mardyke Arena, 1500
Maree vs Bright St. Vincent’s, University of Galway Kingfisher, 1900
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors vs Belfast Star, Tralee Sports Complex, 1500
Monday October 28th
Energywise Ireland Neptune vs Griffith College Éanna, Neptune Stadium, 1400
EJ Sligo All-Stars vs Bright St. Vincent’s, Mercy College, 1500
Templeogue vs UCD Marian, Nord Anglia, 1600
Killester vs Flexachem KCYMS, IWA Clontarf, 1615
Women’s Super League
Saturday October 26th
Utility Trust St. Paul’s vs Killester, Aura, 1600
SETU Waterford Wildcats vs FloMAX Liffey Celtics, Mercy College, 1700
Trinity Meteors vs Catalyst Fr. Mathews, Trinity Sports Centre, 1730
Sunday October 27th
Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell vs The Address UCC Glanmire, Gurranabraher Credit Union Parochial Hall, 1445
Midland Park Portlaoise Panthers vs University of Galway Mystics, St. Mary’s Hall, 1530