BASKETBALL:UCC DEMONS coach, Paul Kelleher, believes his side will be set for a tougher UL Eagles proposition than the one he faced earlier this season in the Nivea For Men's Superleague.
The Cork giants emerged from their trip to UL with a 72-58 win two weeks ago but the Eagles have responded in fine fashion, claiming two difficult wins in a row away to UCD Marian and an in-form DCU Saints.
“They were two huge wins on the road for UL,” said Kelleher. “They showed their experience to grind out a win in UCD and to win in DCU was particularly impressive considering they had just beaten Neptune by 27 points two days previous.”
Demons have endured a mixed start to the season, claiming two wins from four, but those defeats came courtesy of a solitary basket defeat to Bord Gais Neptune, while their game with Killester had to be abandoned due to condensation when they were leading by a massive 16 points.
“We have played reasonably well so far this season, and looking at the Moycullen result that was better than we thought due to their performances recently,” added Kelleher. “We played really well against Killester and had a grasp on the game and it was just a freak situation with the game being abandoned. The Neptune game we played well for 25 minutes and we just lost our shape and we got punished for it in the last 15 minutes.
“Last season was a building year for us and we have added to what we have built on last year and it is taking time to refine those things so I’m hoping in the next few weeks we will be hitting the form I would be expecting on a more consistent basis.”
Elsewhere, Northern Conference high -flyers Killester host DCU Saints, Bord Gais Neptune will be looking to return to winning ways, while UCD Marian take on Belfast Star.
On Sunday, a busy 24 hours for DCU Saints and Belfast Star sees the two sides clash in the capital.
In the Women’s Superleague, Team Montenotte Hotel take on UL in the clash of the unbeaten sides, DCU Mercy host Meteors, while Waterford Wildcats and Ulster Rockets take on Liffey Celtics and Singleton’s Super Valu Brunell respectively.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday – Men’s Superleague: Moycullen v Bord Gais Neptune, NUIG Kingfisher, 4.0; UCD Marian v Belfast Star, UCD Sports Centre, 7.10; 11890 Killester v DCU Saints, IWA, 8.0. Women’s Superleague: Waterford Wildcats v Liffey Celtics, Mercy Gym, 5.0; 11890 Killester v Oblate Dynamos, IWA, 6.0; Ulster Rockets v Singleton’s SuperValu Brunell, DLS Andersonstown, 6.30; Team Montenotte Hotel v UL, Neptune Stadium, 7.0.
Sunday – Men’s Superleague: UCC Demons v UL Eagles, Parochial Hall, 3.15; DCU Saints v Belfast Star, DCU Sports Complex, 4.0.
Women’s Superleague: DCU Mercy v Meteors, DCU Sports Complex, 2.0.
