BASKETBALL: Maybe it was New Year blues, but the men's ESB Superleague this weekend produced a series a shock results. Leaders Neptune and second-placed Star of the Sea were defeated, while champions Waterford produced only their second victory of the entire season to date.
For Neptune, the visit of Killarney wasn't exactly a high-pressure game as the Kerry club had only won twice this season. Though it was close throughout, Killarney emerged with a 90-85 victory, leaving Neptune stunned.
With the game tied at 36 apiece at the half, it was going to take something significant to split the teams. When Neptune lost Kenny Gamble to foul trouble in the third quarter that looked to be it. Still, they led 69-62 going into the final quarter, only for a scoring surge from Tyrone Levitt and John Estick to steal the win.
Star of the Sea had been a model of consistency so far, but they too were stunned by the Tralee Tigers, and fell to a 95-92 defeat. It was 6ft 3in Antoine Gillespie who stole the show, scoring 43 points on his league debut for Tralee and perhaps signalling a late resurgence from the Kerry club in the second half of the season.
Like Neptune, the more favoured Star of the Sea started the better, leading 49-54 at the half. Incredibly, Star were still nine points clear with well under two minutes remaining.
Waterford had it a little easier in their 85-73 win over UCD Marian. The Dublin club never hit full stride, and with Waterford leading 43-40 at the half, the signs of another shock were already ripe.
In the women's Superleague, there was a cup semi-final rehearsal between Drimnagh Dynamoes and the Wildcats, but the presence of Martina Jerant proved more than Drimnagh could manage. Jerant dominated the low post for Wildcats, scoring a game high 31 points, while Karen Staunton hit some impressive shots for Drimnagh, finishing on 13 points.
With only three weeks to the Cup semi-final, Drimnagh will be working on a strategy to control the towering Jerant, a task that has yet to be accomplished in the Superleague this season.
