As they stand on the edge of glory, the pressure mounts for Killester who will need to win one of two of their games this weekend if they are to claim the prestigious Men’s Premier League crown.
Defying all the predictions, Killester became the first side to defeat Demons in Cork this season when they utterly outplayed the cup champions on their home court with a convincing 24 point win. The large margin of victory was important as it denied Demons a losing bonus point.
Although the men in orange and black are set to play twice this weekend, they need only one win to be crowned champions for 2014.
They will first take on the 2013 league winners, UL Eagles, on Saturday night on their home turf in the IWA Clontarf before they make the trip to Cork to play Bord Gais Neptune.
Demons meanwhile must venture in hope to Galway where they play SSE Renewables Moycullen. The Cork outfit will need to win that game and hope that Killester lose both their fixtures at the weekend.
The failure to capture at least a losing bonus point on Sunday last has seriously affected their chances. Had they managed that, Killester would need four points minimum (a win and a losing bonus point) from this weekend to be sure of the title.
However, as it currently stands, Demons can at best get to 49 points. It is a tally that Killester can reach Saturday night with a win over Eagles and due to their superior head to head with Demons, it would be enough to bring the Premier League trophy back to the capital.
It would be the eighth time for Killester to claim the top prize in Irish basketball, doing so most recently in 2011.
This weekend, will also see a real dogfight for the remaining two places in the end of season Champions Trophy tournament.
Neptune, Eagles and DCU Saints all find themselves in with a chance of qualification. One however will have to leave disappointed.
Neptune and Saints play on Saturday night in Cork with a win for the home side guaranteeing them third spot while it would hand Eagles fourth.
Indeed, a losing bonus point from either Neptune or Eagles over the weekend would guarantee themselves third and fourth respectively.
A Saints win by six or more however complicates matters and would open up the possibility of Eagles taking third should they beat Killester Saturday followed up by a Neptune loss by six or more to Killester on Sunday.
A Saints win and losses by both Eagles and Neptune to Killester would see Saints in as fourth place with Neptune remaining third.
Fortunately for the neutral observer without a calculator, the weekend ahead in the Women’s Premier League is considerably simpler.
With the regular season wrapping up last weekend, the Women’s Premier League title will once again be decided by a playoff (unlike the straight league format used in the men’s).
UL Huskies and DCU Mercy, both league finalists in 2013, have earned byes to the semi-finals.
Huskies will play the winners of Killester v WIT Wildcats while Mercy will be watching the Cork derby game between Team Montenotte Hotel and Singleton SuperValu Brunell to identify their semi-final opponents.
Friday, March 9th
Women’s Premier League Quarter Final
Team Montenotte Hotel v Singleton SuperValu Brunell, Upper Glanmire SC, 7.30pm
Local Cork rivals will once again take to the court this weekend as they battle it out for a place in the semi-final of the Women’s Premier League title.
Last weekend the young Brunell side were defeated 66-57 by Team Montenotte Hotel in Upper Glanmire. They pushed their experience opponents to the limited but failed to come away with the win. This weekend however, they will be hoping to reverse the result and pip the 2014 National Cup Champions.
Team Montenotte Hotel player, Niamh Dwyer, said, “Now that we are in the playoffs, there is definitely more pressure. Every team comes out and plays with an edge. We just have to play like we have been and we’ll be fine.
Winning the National Cup does give us more confidence heading into these playoffs because we know that we can go out and compete with any team in the league.”
Saturday, March 10th
Men’s Premier League
Belfast Star V Dublin Inter, Methodist College, Belfast 3:30pm;
As the final round of regular season games gets underway, Belfast Star will face off with Dublin Inter. For the northerners they will be disappointed that their winning run didn’t come sooner as they claimed comprehensive wins over both UCD Marian and UL Eagles in the last two weeks.
They have shown great improvement and progress this season and will be eager to end their return to the Men’s Premier League with a win.
Adrian Fulton, head coach of Belfast Star, said, “We are really pleased with our performance last weekend, it’s probably fair to say it’s the best we have been this season.”
“It’s a pity we don’t have many games left to play, it feels as though we are just getting into the swing of playing. Overall though, our developed has dramatically improved this season and the change in the team and their approach has been noticeable over the last few weeks.”
SSE Renewables Moycullen, C&S UCC Demons, Kingfisher Arena, Galway, 6:30pm;
Demons must venture in hope to Galway where they play SSE Renewables Moycullen. The Cork outfit will need to win that game and hope that Killester lose both their fixtures at the weekend.
The failure to capture at least a losing bonus point on Sunday last has seriously affected their chances. Had they managed that, Killester would need four points minimum (a win and a losing bonus point) from this weekend to be sure of the title.
However, as it currently stands, Demons can at best get to 49 points. It is a tally that Killester can reach Saturday night with a win over Eagles and due to their superior head to head with Demons, it would be enough to bring the Premier League trophy back to the capital.
Considering the circumstances Moycullen may be in the firing line of a wounded Demons side.
Paul O’Brien, of Moycullen said, “This will be a tough task but we need to push the pace in this game against the Demons. Last game we were not quick enough and we need to defend the perimeter better this time.”
“We would like to compete with them and we will. We are going to play the best we can and try to perform for our crowd who has been superb all year with their support for us.”
Templeogue V UCD Marian, Oblate Hall, Dublin, 7pm;
Meanwhile in Dublin a battle between the two southside teams will take place when UCD Marian ventures to the Oblate Hall to take on Templeogue. So far this season both sides have shown that they can compete with the bigger teams but have unfortunately not done enough to close out those games.
As the final round of regular season games unfold, both teams will be looking at this game as a way of ending their season with a win.
Conor Meany, of UCD Marian, said, “Templeogue has played well all season long. They have been very competitive against the top teams, so they are definitely not a team to overlook.”
“We would like to finish off this season strong. We are looking to improve and carry that over into next season so a win this weekend would be great.”
Killester V UL Eagles, IWA Clontarf, 6pm;
As they stand on the edge of glory, the pressure mounts for Killester who will need to win one of two of their games this weekend if they are to claim the prestigious Men’s Premier League crown.
Defying all the predictions, Killester became the first side to defeat Demons in Cork this season when they utterly outplayed the cup champions on their home court with a convincing 24 point win. The large margin of victory was important as it denied Demons a losing bonus point.
Although the men in orange and black are set to play twice this weekend, they need only one win to be crowned champions for 2014.
They will first take on the 2013 league winners, UL Eagles, on Saturday night on their home turf in the IWA Clontarf before they make the trip to Cork to play Bord Gais Neptune.
Killester’s captain, Mike Westbrooks, said, “We have always had confidence that we could beat the best teams in the league, but now we just need to build on the Demons win heading into this weekend and then into the playoffs.
“Double weekends are always very tough, but we have a deep team that will give guys a chance to play more minutes and we are confident that we can win both this weekend.”
“Both teams we play are competitive and in the top 4 and I’m sure both teams would love to knock us off. So we need to focus for these two games and win.”
Neil Campbell, of UL Eagles, said, “We are going to play them similar to how we did last time, we just need to execute better. It’s a smaller court so we will be able to apply pressure. It will be an intense game.”
“It is extra motivation, playing for a spot in the playoffs, this is the biggest game of the year for us. Killester also needs a win to stay atop the table so it should be one of the best games this weekend.”
Bord Gais Neptune V DCU Saints, Neptune Stadium, Cork, 7pm
Both sides will find themselves in with a chance of qualification for the Champion Trophy playoffs.
A win for Neptune would guarantee them third spot while it would hand Eagles fourth. However, a losing bonus point from either Neptune or Eagles over the weekend would guarantee themselves third and fourth respectively.
If Saints were to win by six or more however, it complicates matters and would open up the possibility of Eagles taking third should they beat Killester on Saturday followed up by a Neptune loss by six or more to Killester on Sunday.
A Saints win and losses by both Eagles and Neptune to Killester would see Saints in as fourth place with Neptune remaining third.
Ger Noonan of Bord Gais Neptune, said, “Double weekends are tough and we are playing two good teams. We need to focus on one at a time but also save some energy for Sunday against Killester.”
“We need to play much better defense against DCU this time around. We need to defend the perimeter and stop their fast breaks.”
Eoin Quill of DCU Saints, said, “It’s been a up and down season, we are now dependent on other teams losing in order to make the playoffs but first we have to go to Cork this weekend and get a win, always a tough place to go and play but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Women’s Premier League Quarter Final
Killester v WIT Wildcats, IWA Centre, 8pm;
It will be all to play for in the IWA Clontarf on Saturday night when WIT Wildcats make the journey to the capital to take on Killester.
Although Wildcats have beaten the Dublin side twice this season this game is sure to be different. The Killester side has come on leaps and bounds since their last encounter, taking out each of the “top three” and competing in the National Cup Semi-Finals.
Sinead Deegan of WIT Wildcats, said, “We played them early on in the season and they have transformed into a much better team since then. We will need to be at our best to win this game.”
“At the moment, our confidence is touch and go. We are playing so close to the top teams, but not coming out with a win. We haven’t reached our peak yet, but we are hoping that we can in the next couple of weeks.”
“We will be keeping our feet firmly on the ground using the same mentality as our previous two games because we know what this hardworking side are capable of. There can be only one winner at the end of the day, only one team progresses.”
Sunday, March 9th
Men’s Premier League
Bord Gais Neptune V Killester, Upper Glanmire Sports Centre, Cork, 3pm
The final game of the weekend will see Bord Gais Neptune take on Killester. As mentioned previously, should Killester lose to UL Eagles on Saturday night, this game against Bord Gais Neptune is a must win for them if they are to take the title.
Meanwhile if Bord Gais Neptune wins on Saturday night against DCU Saints they will be guaranteed the third spot.
Ger Noonan of Bord Gais Neptune, said, “Killester is the only team in the country we haven’t beaten. People were shocked when we beat Demons and we are looking to shock Killester this weekend too.”
BASKETBALL IRELAND UPCOMING FIXTURES
Friday, March 9th
Women’s Premier League Quarter Final
Team Montenotte Hotel v Singleton SuperValu Brunell, Upper Glanmire SC, 7.30pm
Saturday, March 10th
Men’s Premier League
Belfast Star V Dublin Inter, Methodist College, Belfast 3:30pm; SSE Renewables Moycullen, C&S UCC Demons, Kingfisher Arena, Galway, 6:30pm; Templeogue V UCD Marian, Oblate Hall, Dublin, 7pm; Killester V UL Eagles, IWA Clontarf, 6pm; Bord Gais Neptune V DCU Saints, Neptune Stadium, Cork, 7pm
Women’s Premier League Quarter Final
Killester v WIT Wildcats, IWA Centre, 8pm;
Men’s Division One
Team Left Bank Kilkenny V Team Garvey’s St Mary’s, O’Loughlin Gaels Gym, Kilkenny, 6pm; Tolka Rovers V Maree, Tolka Rovers SC, Dublin, 7:30pm
Women’s Division One Semi-Final
Portlaiose Panthers v Oblate Dynamos, St Mary’s Hall, 6.30pm
U18 Men’s National Shield
Sligo All-Stars V Phoenix BC, Mercy College, Sligo, 4:30pm
Sunday, March 9th
Men’s Premier League
Bord Gais Neptune V Killester, Upper Glanmire Sports Centre, Cork, 3pm
Men’s Division One 2013-14
JM&L Auctioneer’s Titans V Swords Thunder, Cappagh Park SC, Galway, 3pm
U18 Men’s National Shield
Moycullen V St Vincent’s, NUIG Kingfisher, 4pm
U18 Women’s National Shield
Carraig Na Bhfear Rebels V St Anthony’s, Whitechurch Community Hall, 4pm; Malahide V St Colm’s, Malahide CS, 12 noon
Basketball Ireland League Tables as of March 6th 2014
Basketball Ireland Men’s Premier League Table
Team P W L BP* Points
Killester 16 15 1 1 46
C&S UCC Demons 17 15 2 1 46
Bord Gais Neptune 16 11 5 1 34
UL Eagles 17 10 7 1 31
DCU Saints 17 9 8 2 29
Belfast Star 17 8 9 4 28
UCD Marian 17 7 10 2 23
Dublin Inter 17 6 11 3 21
SSE Renewables Moycullen 17 2 15 1 7
Templeogue 17 1 16 4 7
*BP = Bonus Point for losing by six or less points
Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One League Table
Team P W L BP* Points
Maree 13 12 1 1 37
Swords Thunder 13 11 2 0 33
Team Garvey’s St Mary’s 13 9 4 0 27
JM&L Auctioneer’s Titans 13 8 5 2 26
C&S Blue Demons 14 5 9 1 16
Team Left Bank Kilkenny 13 5 8 1 16
Fr Mathews 14 2 12 2 8
Tolka Rovers 13 1 12 0 4
*BP = Bonus Point for losing by six or less points
Basketball Ireland Women’s Premier League Table
Team P W L Points
UL Huskies 16 14 2 44
DCU Mercy 16 13 3 42
Team Montenotte Hotel 16 12 4 40
Killester 16 10 6 36
WIT Wildcats 16 8 8 32
Singleton SuperValu Brunell 16 7 9 30
Ulster Rockets 16 5 11 26
Liffey Celtics 16 2 14 20
Meteors 16 1 15 18
Basketball Ireland Women’s Division One Table
Team P W L Points
Portlaoise Panthers 12 10 2 32
Tralee Imperials 12 8 4 28
Oblate Dynamos 12 7 5 26
Tom McCarthy’s St Mary’s 12 7 5 26
NUIG Mystics 12 6 6 24
IT Carlow 12 4 8 20
UL Huskies 12 0 12 11
