Cork Basketball: Neptune and Ballincollig must win with Super League playoffs looming
Neptune’s Cian Heaphy and Nil Sabata celebrate a score against Ballincollig. picture Chani Anderson
A packed weekend of basketball action will begin tonight with two crucial games in Cork tipping off at 8pm, with Neptune hosting Tralee Warriors and Ballincollig welcoming UCD Marian to the MTU.
After the week of men’s international basketball the final furlong of the Super League series should be intriguing.
Neptune a club with high aspirations at the start of the season now find themselves struggling to make the playoffs unless they find some better form in the coming weeks.
When Tralee Warriors are in town you are guaranteed fireworks and Neptune will be under no illusions of the task that lies ahead of them this evening at their Blackpool venue.
Defeats to UCC Demons and Killester put Neptune under pressure and they will receive no sympathy from their Kerry opponents in tonight’s game. New American signing Tamyrik Fields looked to be back to his best against Killester when chipping in with 35 points but the bottom line is that his team lost by 23 points.
The second Neptune American Chance Hunter at times looks okay when he is going to the hoop but strangely concentrates on his outside shooting, that approach is presently not working. Darragh O’Sullivan is another player whose shooting is inconsistent.
Generally, Neptune look disorganised at both ends of the court.
The Warriors looked serious championship contenders at the start of the season but went stale for a couple of months and in recent games coach John Dowling looks to have settled the dust. In Americans Marquavian Stephens and Brandon Mahan, they have a duo capable of putting up big numbers but not on a consistent basis.
Warriors also have two Bosmans in Daniel Jokubaitis and Greg Adon and for the financial investment both clubs have made in this campaign they would surely have expected better results.
This has all the ingredients of being a competitive game and with no love lost between them it will be interesting how it will pan out.
The double-header weekend is completed for Neptune when they travel to Dublin tomorrow to face Bright St Vincent’s.
Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig are another side hoping for a better performance as they host a UCD Marian side that are in a rich vein of form.
Ballincollig’s last game was a fortnight ago when they lost at Killorglin and they will know that tonight’s opponents are a serious outfit.
In my book no team will want to play UCD Marian in the playoffs as they have great balance but more importantly are well-drilled by coach Ioannis Liapakis.
Americans Jake Wolfe and Quashawn Lane have been consistently on double figures this season but Bosman Joshua Tomaic can be inconsistent.
Getting numbers from their Irish players has been tough for Spanish coach Antonio Lopez as in their defeat to Killorglin all they could muster up was 24 points between them.
The UCD American Jonathon Jean is quick and is a player that likes taking it to the hoop but watch for Bosman Lovre Tvrdic who finished with a staggering 48 points in their last win against Maree.
A win for Ballincollig would give them a huge boost as they travel to play Tralee Warriors on Sunday.
UCC Demons will begin their double header weekend with a long trip west to play Sligo All Stars tomorrow before a quick turnaround back to Leeside to face Killester on Sunday at the Mardyke Arena (4pm).
Demons had three players involved with the Irish team and this could be the weekend that sees their bid for top spot in the Super League truly tested.
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