Conor Meany: Maree bounce back to win but trouble for Tralee
SHOT OFF: Lesley Ann Wilkinson of Catalyst Fr Matthews goes for a basket during the Miss Quote.ie Women's Basketball Super league match against The Address UCC Glanmire in the Fr Matthews Arena. Pic: Howard Crowdy
Maree’s shock defeat at home against Ulster University raised plenty of questions around whether or not they are capable of contending again this year. This week they needed a big response and they got one beating Tralee by ten. The biggest difference for Maree was their consistency of effort and discipline, something that Charlie Crowley had emphasized last week after they blew a 24-point lead at home. What will excite Maree fans most is the impact of their British swingman Kyle Carey. The former BBL player was held scoreless in eight minutes last weekend but responded with a brilliant 25-point effort on Saturday. With Eoin Rockall adding 14 points, Maree’s wing scoring was a major issue for Tralee and a big factor in the Galway side securing their first win of the season.
After two games it’s hard to know what to make of this year’s Tralee team. They were dominant at home against Moycullen but were well beaten this week in Galway. Tralee for me were always at their most challenging when they had a physical inside presence and an American guard running the show. There is physicality across the board this year but not that dominant inside presence like a Goran Pantovic or Niko Rosso in previous years. One added concern is the lack of a second guard capable of getting into the lane and creating. What that can result in is too many standstill shots, with Daniel Jokubaitis shooting 14 threes probably an indication of this. Despite any concerns, they still have the pieces to win silverware but there’s some work to do to mesh those pieces together.
After their opening weekend stumble, Killester’s women needed a big performance to re-establish themselves as title favourites and they did just that on Sunday beating Waterford 88-66. Killester dominated inside throughout outrebounding Wildcats easily, while Killester’s centre Keowa Waters led five scorers in double digits with 20 points. For Killester, this confirms the preseason expectations that they will likely be the team to beat this year. On the other side, Wildcats will be disappointed that they lost the physical battle so heavily that they never got a chance to show their skill. Sarah Hickey scored well again but Wildcats’ Americans combined for just 17 points. A win on Sunday would have been huge for Wildcats but as it stands both teams are still right there in contention, but Killester have the first major psychological advantage.
Belfast Star picked up a very good away win in Sligo on Saturday, with a performance that will please Adrian Fulton much more than their home win over Vincent’s in Week 1. Star at their best have a balance of good pros and contributions from Irish players. Last weekend, they had huge performances from their Americans but not much else of note. This week Star controlled the game from start to finish and had five players in double digits. Star aren’t a very deep team but their best six can compete with any team in the country, particularly as Tamyrik Fields looks to be an early runner for Player of the Year.
Ulster University’s remarkable start to the season has continued with their second big win in as many weeks. Trailing 76-72 with just three minutes left, Ulster closed the game out with a 9-0 run to win a tight battle that saw 11 lead changes. The bigger talking point post game was the flash point with just one minute to go in the game. After Ulster had taken the lead on a big three pointer, Lorcan Murphy and Jordan Jackson got tangled up and Murphy was ejected from the game. After just two games it looks like Ulster may be able to make a push to be considered for a play-off spot with two impressive wins. Templeogue still have lots of questions to answer and if Murphy is to face any sort of time on the sidelines it will be a big problem for Mark Keenan’s side.
Defending Champions Glanmire got their first win of the year with a derby win over Fr Mathews. Mark Scannell’s team were very strong in the first half building up a 24 point lead behind excellent work from Jada Dapaa who scored all 19 in the first twenty minutes. The second half will give Pat Price reasons for encouragement as his squad fought back with Ariel Johnson and Grainne Dwyer both scoring 33 of their 35 points after half-time.
After just three week’s of the women’s league it looks like there are three teams who will be very worried about their future in the league. Portlaoise Panthers lost by 50 at home to Brunell and managed just eight second half points. Meteors also struggled losing by 42 to Liffey Celtics away, while University of Galway Mystics lost by 32 away to Ulster. Mystics have the biggest chance to change their fortune but all three look to be off the pace for the league at the moment. Meteors face off against Portlaoise next weekend which could be an early indicator of who may survive come the end of the year.
Knowing that the bottom team in the South gets relegated, the matchup between Maigh Cuilinn and Killorglin was a critical one to decide who stays up at the end of the year. Maigh Cuilinn showed the impact of local energy and vigour as they scrapped and clawed their way to an important win. Being as physical as possible, the Galwaymen outrebounded Killorglin convincingly and also fouled an incredible amount sending the visitors to the line for 36 free throws. The tactic worked though as Killorglin never got into a rhythm and tried to force it inside. Incredibly Killorglin shot only five threes all game and made just one (inside the last three minutes). This was a grit win, but huge credit also goes to James Connaire who scored 24 points to lead Maigh Cuilinn.
Any worries Ballincollig have over having to change American can be held for another day after they dominated a poor St Vincent’s team in Dublin. New signing Jordan Campbell had 25 points, but the story of this game is just how poor Vincent’s were. There are worries around North Dublin that Vincent’s will be in a relegation battle and on early signs they certainly look destined for it.
Paul Dick rescued Killester with a huge three pointer with 3.7 seconds left to get Killester’s first win of the year. Despite the win Killester still have issues as Kason Harrell and Dick haven’t yet clicked. Harrell averaged 29 points a game when he was last here but managed just 12 on Sunday. Eanna will curse missed free throws as they hit just two of seven in the fourth quarter, in what was a poor quality showing by both teams down the stretch. It’s early days but at this point it would look like the South is again the stronger conference.
