Killester hang on to slim lead

Killester maintained their slim lead at the top of the ESB Men's League when they comfortably defeated Tyrone 90-78 on Saturday. Lining up behind them, however, are three more Dublin clubs as the race for title remains a close affair.

With just eight weeks remaining, the two-point margin in the table may yet prove decisive, but Notre Dame - who moved into joint second after back-toback wins over UCD Marian and Limerick - still benefit from a game in hand.

Yet Killester's form remains a pillar of consistency. They were without the injured Jerome Westbrooks, and Eric Jackson played a limited role, but they still proved far superior to Tyrone. They were 11-2 up after just a couple of minutes and never looked back, although big shooting from Charles Mason and Jermaine Turner helped keep the Northern visitors in touch.

With John Leahy in his usual form, however, Killester pressed on for the 12-point win and coach Mark Ingle could afford to put five of his youngest Irish players on court at the finish.

Notre Dame go into next weekend's cup action in striking form. On Saturday they ended UCD Marian's nine game unbeaten run with an 81-71 victory at the National Arena, then came back less than 24 hours later to hammer Limerick 8976.

The big test was always going to be UCD Marian - who drop to fourth place - but it was as close as everyone expected. The visitors managed to sneak into a 21-18 lead after the first quarter thanks to the sharp shooting of Alan Fearon.

That was the signal for Anthony Jenkins to up his game, and at the half Notre Dame were in front 45-36. Although Marian cut the deficit to four points in the final quarter, Notre Dame had the depth and confidence to prevail, ending off the game with a succession of superb baskets from Brandon Hughes. Anyone who wants to take their cup title next weekend has been warned.

The Saints are also keeping their face in the frame with two impressive wins of their own. Waterford were the first to suffer, falling 100-91 on Saturday, followed by yesterday's scoreline of 107-89 against Killarney.

Gareth Winders was the standout in the latter by scoring six three-pointers for a total contribution of 24.

Elsewhere, Neptune are refusing to surrender their title without making some noise. They beat Sligo 100-82 but remain stuck in the lower half of the table, just above their Cork mates, the Demons.

The women's league remains a one-club story as the Wildcats stay on target for another title. They cruised past Meteors 9271, and while Tolka Rovers did manage to record successive wins, they have all but surrendered their crown.