BASKETBALL:NEPTUNE GAINED a significant victory, 73-72, over reigning champions 11890 Killester in the Nivea for Men's Superleague yesterday Bord Gais .
Neptune narrowly lost out to Killester in last year’s league final and this season the Cork side have had a renewed sense of purpose under the guidance of Mark Scannell.
Victory here ensured that Scannell’s side continue to set the pace atop the Southern Conference and will have further underlined their credentials as potential champions.
An expectant crowd at Neptune Stadium saw both sides put on an excellent defensive performance with neither team able to open up a leading margin of any real significance. With the sides level at the half-time break (39-39) it was apparent this was a game that would go to the wire.
So it transpired, as the sides traded blows throughout the second half, and it was left to Ron Thomson, Neptune’s American recruit to shoot the winning score at the death. In all, Thomson shot an impressive 29 points, a contribution that naturally pleased his coach.
“Ron gives us height and strength which helps out the team as a whole. He is great on the boards,” said Scannell. “Today, he dropped the ball, but got it back and went up and shot the winning basket for us. That’s the kind of guy he is. That what he does and that’s what we expect from him. He is a hugely experienced player that we spent the whole summer trying to recruit.
“He has been nursing a back spasm all week but yet he managed to contribute 29 points today.”
Moycullen bounced back from Saturday’s defeat to Belfast Star with a 63-61 win over UL Eagles.
Luke Enos weighed in with 26 points for the home side, who inflicted a second defeat on Mark Keenan’s Eagles in as many days.
Coach Gerard Lyons said: “We were so up for this game. The lads didn’t play well enough against Star and deserved to lose. They were very keen to make amends, especially against UL who are a great side.”
Elsewhere in the men’s Superleague UCC Demons secured a vital away win at UCD Marian, 79-75.
Belfast Star secured their first victory of their campaign with a 75-61 win over Moycullen while on Saturday DCU Saints produced yet another impressive performance over UL with a comfortable 79-60 win.
In the women’s Superleague there were wins for UL, 11890 Killester and Team Montenotte Hotel on Saturday, while Meteors overcame Singleton’s SuperValu Brunell and DCU Mercy had a comfortable win over Oblate Dynamos yesterday.
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