UCC Demons professional players fail to show up and it costs their side a chance of national cup glory

UCC Demons 75 

Killester 92 

Safe to say UCC Demons three professional players Patrick Robinson, Elijah Tillman and Toby Christensen will not be sending copies of this Pat Duffy National Cup final to their agents for distribution.

Put simply, they were awful and the fact that UCC Demons were still in the final early in the fourth quarter was down to their Irish players Dave Lehane, Kyle Hosford and James Hannigan.

They ended the game with 35 points, contributed greatly to this final, but without the help and support of their professional players on both ends of the floor, they alone were never going to beat the best team in the country who had the best player in the final American Isiah Dasher in their colours.

For Demons coaching staff, the autopsy won’t take long, but they need to have a serious talk and some harsh words with their professional players if Demons are going to rescue their season and make a bold bid for league honours.

Combined they scored 34 points, awful by any standard, and it was when they were scored that matters, but one can forgive a bad offensive night if they do their job on defence.

They didn’t and each one of them was well beaten by their respective opponents.

Robinson was destroyed by Dasher, Tillman is clearly unfit and not able to last the pace. Against a smaller Killester side he didn’t block enough shots and grab enough boards as well as missing too many easy shots under the basket.

Christensen just had one of those night where if he tried to throw the basketball into the ocean he would have missed.

For Demons now the challenge is to stay united, stay strong and come back with a renewed vigour to ensure they stay in the hunt for league honours.

The three match officials Emma Perry, Majiec Namizek and Jamie Dooley were very poor in the opening quarter, missing several easy foul calls, missed several travelling violations and it hurt the UCC Demons players more than Killester, but that been said, Demons were all over the place on offence, struggling to find the right man to take the right shot.

They shot five from 21 attempts from the floor, turned the ball over four times and were out of their stride with Patrick Robinson contributing nothing on offence.

A smaller Killester side were too quick for Demons with American Elijah Tillman struggling to stay with the pace of the final. He had to come out of the game twice in the opening 10 minutes, the first after just three minutes.

It was their Irish players, James Hannigan, Kyle Hosford and Dave Lehane who combined for 13 points that were keeping Demons close as they trailed by eight 18-26 at the end of the first.

Tillman started the second quarter like a man with a serious grudge and his dunk at the start of the period almost brought the basket down.

Demons needed him to play annoyed and angry and it helped his team stay in the game. His American compatriot Patrick Robison was still struggling on both end of the floor. Isiah Dasher was too quick for him scoring three quick baskets on him, while on offence he continued to struggle before Demons coach Danny O’Mahony took him out of the game with five to play in the half.

Again it was Hosford with 10 and Dave Lehane with 12 keeping the defending champions in the half and with just over four to play a Scott Hannigan three pointer had the deficit cut to four 34 -38.

Demons ended the half trailing by four 41-45 but Killester would have gone to the dressing room confused, trying to figure out why they were not further ahead.

They were the better, more controlled team in the opening half and Demons for all their faults and struggles were still on their coat tails.

That would have given the huge Demons faithful hope as surely in the second half Robinson (2), Christensen (1) and Tillman (10) would come to life on offence and help the Irish players.

Killester started the third quicker and added two quick baskets to lead by eight, 41-49 before Demons started to up the tempo and find their range.

Robinson hit his second basket of the game, James Hannigan hit two huge threes and suddenly Demons were level at 54 each and right back in the final with six to play in the third.

Christensen with a spin move inside gave them back the lead they lost in the first quarter after four minutes to see them ahead 56 to 54 with five to play.

Dasher was keeping the Killester scoreboard ticking over and he took his total to 20 points giving his side the lead again 56-58. Killester stayed ahead but a Blake Murphy three with seconds remaining in the third meant with 10 to play one point separated the sides 62-63.

Again it was the scoring power of James Hannigan, Hosford and Lehane with 32 points between them that kept Demons in the game.

Patrick Robinson started the fourth quarter as he should have done the game, taking over Demons offence and hitting six points in a row and with just over seven to play they trailed by two 68-70 With Dasher, the game’s best player and MVP, now taking over the game, eight points in a row, Killester led 72-83 with four to play.

A Kason Harrell floater then made it a 13 point game and Demons coach Danny O’Mahony called a badly needed time out with just over three to play.

It was the last throw of the dice but it made no difference as Demons started throwing up bricks from the three point line and Killester ran out worthy winners by 17 points 75-92.