Good news for Killester

Basketball Round-up: Ah, the cup. Plenty of shocks and cliffhangers, but the good news is every club's court was deemed playable for the duration, especially that of Killester, who welcomed St Vincent's on Saturday night. They recorded their first win of the season with five points to spare.

It was also revealed by Basketball Ireland that the club may not lose the Superleague points from last week's forfeited match against Neptune after their new wood floor proved unplayable in overtime.

"After Basketball Ireland received the referee's and commissioner's report from the game Neptune versus Killester on Saturday last (Oct 15th), it does not appear that the reason for the game being abandoned was condensation," read a Superleague statement.

"Therefore, in accordance with our regulations, Superleague manager Karl Donnelly is investigating the matter and will most likely have to refer to the Superleague board for a decision on the result of the game and any actions that need to be taken."

The Greendale gym also hosted Shamrock Rovers and the Killarney Lakers yesterday afternoon, with Tim Sullivan's 30-point haul seeing the Kerry club to the quarter-finals.

UCD Marian beat Neptune mainly thanks to the three-point shooting of Irish international Lorcan Precious, who finished with a 17-point total.

The shocks? Well, double champions UCC Demons must go the back-door route after they were beaten in the Mardyke Arena by the Limerick Lions. Robert Taylor's 25-point haul made the crucial difference here.

The cliffhangers? A weekend of basketball doesn't seem to pass without Ballina being involved in a nailbiter. They coughed up a 16-point lead at home to defending champions the Tralee Tigers, with big three-pointers from Australian import Luke O'Hea and John Teehan turning the match for yet another Kerry club victory on the road.

There was a significant result in the women's Superleague as UL/Aughinish's four-year unbeaten run in the University Arena came to a disastrous end as they were emptied 74-43 by Mercy Coolock, who went top of the table as a result.

Is this the end of the Limerick women's dominance? Quality doesn't fade overnight - they could bounce back next week.