LIMERICK Sport Eagles secured a Division One play-off slot by virtue of a nail-biting 102-99 defeat of SETU Carlow at the UL Arena.
Sam Finley put up 23 points, while Ignacio Folgueiras and Kealan Coats each weighed in with 22 to help counter the huge 65 that Xabier Arriaga and Kevin Donohoe totalled for Carlow.
“We played very well for most of the game, but fell asleep on their shooter late on, which meant we nearly got caught on the line” admitted Limerick Sport Eagles head coach, Matt Hall, to Basketball Ireland.
“Any win against Carlow is a good result, so we’re delighted with that and hopefully we can keep this momentum at the business end of the season” he added.
South Conference leaders, Limerick Celtics fought back from 12 points down almost midway through the third quarter to earn a 97-91 overtime win against Joels Dublin Lions in Crescent College.
Da’kquan Davis served up a huge 41 points for the hosts, while Andrew Whistett weighed in with a further 18, along with 19 rebounds, as Limerick weathered a massive challenge from their Clondalkin rivals for whom Evan Blackmon and Brendan Trapper combined for 63 points.
Next week, Eagles host Killarney Cougars (Saturday, UL Arena at 7pm) while Celtics are away to Carlow on Sunday, 1pm.
