Star shine in convincing win

Basketball Round-up : The southern conference is considered superior to its northern cousins but try telling that to Nate Connolly…

Basketball Round-up: The southern conference is considered superior to its northern cousins but try telling that to Nate Connolly and Dave Langrell.

The Star of the Sea pair combined for 72 points as the Limerick Lions' hangover from the cup final defeat to UCC Demons continued in Jordanstown on Saturday night. The convincing 103-86 scoreline moves the Ulster team into fourth spot, six points adrift of Killester and St Vincent's.

The results, however, in every other cross conference meetings went south with the aforementioned Dublin clubs failing to cut Ballina's lead at the top of the northern conference.

Killester lost a desperately close contest against many peoples champions-elect UCC Demons in Greendale. Despite a 29-point haul from Bana Tomic, the Serbian fouling out in the fourth quarter hardly helped the cause as Cork native Shane Coughlan stepped up in the closing seconds to secure a 92-91 victory from the free throw line.

READ MORE

Elsewhere, the Killarney Lakers easily accounted for Shamrock Rovers Hoops, 87-69, to move into second spot at the expense of the Lions. However, Limerick are equal on points with a game in hand and a 10 to five, win to loss, ratio for the season.

Tralee remain in the hunt for third spot after overcoming St Vincent's, 90-88, in yet another agonisingly close contest.

They must now win their games in hand on Limerick and Killarney to make the play-offs.

The other Superleague contest saw Neptune overcome a troubled UCD Marian 93-80. Twenty four points from UCD's Ian O'Boyle kept the scoreline respectable as Neptune ran their bench late on.

In the woman's Superleague, Killester more than survived without the departed American Sue Altman thanks to an inspired performance from Carmel Kissane, whose 19 points contributed to a 22 point margin of victory over Drimnagh.

UL Aughinish also seem to be hitting top form at the right time as the cup champions blitzed St Paul's 97-51 with Michelle Aspell shooting 25 points.

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey is The Irish Times' Soccer Correspondent