Cork basketball: Neptune, Demons and Ballincollig look for repeat wins
Shon Briggs eyes the basket for Energywise Ireland Neptune against Flexachem Killorglin CYMS. Picture: Larry Cummins
It will be an interesting weekend for the three Cork clubs in the Men’s Super League as they face the identical sides, they eliminated in the Pat Duffy National Cup next weekend.
The action will begin tomorrow at the Neptune stadium when Energywise Ireland Neptune will host Flexachem Killorglin.
Although the Neptune coach Colin O’Reilly was happy with the defensive performance of his side in truth it was a substandard game for the basketball purist.
Neptune did have encouraging performances from American Jonathon Lawton who finished with 22 points, but it was the energy he showed in defence that would have impressed his coach and teammates.
The second Neptune American Chrishon Briggs only put in another mediocre display although finishing with 17 points some of his shooting attempts were once again questionable.
With no disrespect, Killorglin wouldn’t be the strongest opposition that Neptune will face this season and once again Colin O’Reilly had a poor return from his two-point guards Roy Downey and Conor O’Sullivan. In the case of Downey over his 29 minutes on the court all he could amass was a paltry five points with O’Sullivan faring worse in his 12.35 minutes as he couldn’t register a basket.
Cian Heaphy had another disappointing evening in his 21 minutes only coming up with a four-point contribution and Bosman Max Copper, despite finishing with 13 points, scored 10 of those in the final quarter. Catalonian Nil Sabata looks a shadow of the player we witnessed for many years although he is a great encourager when on the bench to his teammates.
Killorglin look an average side and unless they come up with something very special, they will be returning over the county bounds pointless for the second consecutive week.
UCC Demons produced their best basketball of the season when defeating holders Maree in the National Cup at the Neptune stadium but now it's back to their home venue at the Mardyke Arena on Sunday for a clash with the same opposition.
It was a special day for the club but for the Hannigan twins James and Scott, it was a very special one back on the court of the club they represented for many years.
Due to getting limited court time the Hannigan twins moved to Demons last season and are now an integral part of their squad. In the case of James Hannigan is there a better guard in this country right now as his fitness and agility in defence are a joy to behold?
It was a tough baptism for Demons' new American signing D’Andre Jackson as he picked up two fouls in the opening two minutes and only played for a total of 15 minutes.
On the positive side, he still chipped in with 13 points and more importantly nailed a stunning three-pointer in the last quarter that helped his team get over the line.
There is little doubt the westerners will land back on Leeside with revenge firmly on their minds and it should be another entertaining afternoon at the Mardyke Arena.
The best revival in the National Cup weekend was produced by Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig @MTU when they snatched a win from the jaws of defeat at Templeogue. In fairness, this was an incredible win for Ballincollig who trailed by four points with a minute remaining on the clock.
The one noticeable trait in this Ballincollig is how drilled and composed they are and the reward for this win is a trip to Belfast for a quarter-final clash with Ulster University.
Surely Ballincollig will be hot favourites to win this game that will take them to the Neptune Stadium in early January for a cup semi-final.
For now, player-coach Ciaran O’Sullivan will set his sights on getting another victory over their Dublin opponents tomorrow at the National Basketball Arena.
The Templeogue coach Mark Keenan and his squad have possibly spent the week pondering how they actually managed to lose their cup game and will be up for battle in what should be another entertaining clash.
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