League leaders under pressure

BASKETBALL: Midpoint in the season and already a few familiar patterns are emerging, thankfully performances like that of the Killarney Lakers last week and the immediate pre-Christmas form of Shamrock Rovers add some variety.

We have our four teams in place for the bumper national cup weekend at the end of January, the Lakers and Kenny Gamble adding the romance here. In the Superleague, the Tralee Tigers and Killester remain top of their respective piles but their dominance is beginning to fade.

Tralee are on the verge of losing their two key Irish players Kieran Donaghy and Michael Quirke to the Kerry football panel in the coming months, while Killester are turning to their home grown talent after American cousins Mike Martin and Colin Tabb headed home. Good to see the imports are as reliable as ever.

Killester had a couple of soft fixtures in the immediate aftermath of their departures but they were found out last week in the cup quarter-finals when mauled by the Tigers for the second time this season.

It could get worse this weekend when their two main rivals in the Northern Conference, UCD and St Vincent's, both get a chance to reduce the deficit at the top.

Tralee may be in worse shape domestically as they may lose the top spot if they go down heavily away to Limerick tomorrow. One from the Demons and Neptune will also make a late run for the title; the former could conceivably still achieve the league and cup double. UCC play Waterford on Sunday.

Before that Waterford face a rejuvenated Lakers tomorrow night in Killarney. The importance here is both sides are now trying to avoid the wooden spoon. At present all Waterford can boast is the leading marksman in the Superleague, Jamal Johnson being well clear on 361 points.

The national cup weekend will be completed this weekend when the woman's quarter-finals take place around the country. Glanmire will be without Adriana Spears, who is suspended pending the results of her B sample after testing positive for cocaine on November 27th, for the visit of Mercy, Coolock.

Defending champions UL Aughinish plays Drimnagh Dynamos, Killester host the Meteors and division one side St Mary's face St Paul's.

Basketball Ireland will be supporting the GOAL Sport Aid Weekend and the victims of the South East Asia Disaster, and there will be a raffle held at each men's Superleague and women's cup games this weekend for a pair of weekend tickets to the National Cup finals.

Tickets will cost €5 each, and all proceeds will be donated to GOAL. All the clubs have pledged their support and will give the initiative their full backing and encouragement.

Saturday: Men - Superleague: Limerick Lions v Tralee Tigers, UL Arena, 7.30; Killarney Lakers v Waterford Crystal, INEC, 8.00; Ballina v Shamrock Rovers Hoops, Ballina SC, 8.00; Killester v UCD, IWA, 8.00. Women - National Cup quarter-finals: St Mary's, Castleisland v St Paul's, St Mary's, 8.15; Killester v Meteors, IWA, 6.00; Glanmire v Mercy, Coolock, Littleisland, 7.30. Sunday: Men - Superleague: Roma St Vincent's v Killester, St Vincent's CBS, 3.15; UCC Demons v Waterford, Mardyke Arena, 3.15. Women - National Cup quarter-finals: Drimnagh UL Aughinish, Oblate Hall, 3.30.