UCC Demons beaten at home by Killorglin after poor last quarter
UCC Demons' David Lehane lays up a basket from Flexachem Killorglin's Echezona Okeke during the Domino's Men's Super League at the Mardyke Arena. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
A stunning 35-point contribution from Flexachem Killorglin’s American Echezona Okeke helped defeat the champions UCC Demons in the Domino’s Men’s Super League at the Mardyke Arena on Sunday.
The Kerry side showed true resilience when the game threatened to run away but Demons will rue some very questionable shooting options when the game hung in the balance. Demons were awful coming down the stretch, outscored 24-10 in the final quarter, with Killorglin exposing them at will.
Both sides looked up for the challenge in the opening exchanges with man-to-man defence being played with intensity before a brace of Jordan Blount free throws giving the Kerry side a 4-2 lead in the second minute.
The play was fast and furious and midway through the quarter, the home side led 10-8 before a stunning Echezona Okeke three-pointer edged the Kerry side ahead by the minimum. Okeke looks a serious professional and he was the one player that Demons struggled to contain in the opening quarter.
Another problem for Demons was their inability to box-out as they consistently allowed Killorglin second and third attempts at the hoop. In the closing possession, Scott Hannigan produce a monstrous shot outside the arc that ensured the teams were level at 24 points each at the end of an entertaining quarter.
On the restart, Zach Hinton finished a Demons fast break as the tempo of the game looked to be increasing. To be fair, Killorglin dominated the opening four minutes as Demons' defence was slack in allowing them unchallenged lay-ups.
Luckily for Demons, James Hannigan found his touch when Killorglin looked to be dominating and with 3.41 remaining in the quarter the visitors commanded a 39-38 lead.
One good find for Demons this season has been Daryl Cuff, and the 20-year-old nailed consecutive three-pointers in the closing minutes that helped give them a 50-42 cushion. American Black showed his composure with a stunning buzzer floater that ensured his team went in at the break commanding a nine-point lead: 52-43.
Looking at the half-time stats, Demons had 14/25 inside the arc, a 56% average, and 4/12 outside the arc, 33%. The Killorglin stats read a healthy 14/18 inside the arc, 78%, but it was their shooting outside the arc was 2/18, a paltry 11%.
On the restart, Dave Lehane gave Demons a perfect start when banking a shot as they surged into a 16-point lead just two minutes into the quarter. However, complacency and careless defending allowed Killorglin back in the game and the deficit was reduced to seven midway through this period.
The home team responded to the wake-up call and when Daryl Cuff checked Blount and Black finished with a huge shot outside the arc Demons restored a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the quarter.
Tal Fam helped Demons get back into the game but they were careless in the closing minutes and Killorglin reduced the lead to 71-63 entering the final quarter.
Demons' slide continued though. Coach Danny O’Mahony had no Americans on court with six minutes remaining and Killorglin edged ahead as his team were struggling to register a basket.
The closing minutes were a comedy of errors as Killorglin exposed Demons at the death to secure the points.
T Fam 19, S Black 16, D Cuff 10.
E Oceke 35 J Blount 15, E Grudov 17.
S Hannigan, B Horgan, J Beckom, L Sutton, K Hosford, J Hannigan, D Lehane, T Fam Thiam, D Cuff, C Looney, L Kivuvu, Z Hinton, S Black.
E Evans, M Kelly, E Bolger, A Fitzgerald, R Ghanem, D Wall, P Lanipekun, E Grudov, E Ekeke, J Blount, L Croke, C Buckley, C Timmons.
Jamie Dooley (Portlaoise), Leanne Aherne (Limerick), Emer Buckley (Kerry).
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