Waterford stay clear

Waterford may continue to lead the way in the ESB Superleague but they remain closely shadowed

Waterford may continue to lead the way in the ESB Superleague but they remain closely shadowed. A series of tight results this weekend has seen Killester, Tralee and Limerick all move on to their shoulder to form a three-way tie in second place.

BASKETBALL: While Waterford's 91-79 win over Tyrone was expected (the Northern club are still without a win in their 15 games) the victory for Killester was cherished. Dublin rivals Notre Dame were rediscovering some of their best form and promised a stern test for Mark Ingle, who returned as head coach at Killester last week.

In the end it took a late, late slam-dunk from Chris Davis to give Killester the 91-89 victory - their seventh win in the last eight games.

Killester, leading 50-45 at half-time, looked to be safe until Anthony Jenkins and Brandon Hughes inspired a late rally so to tie the game at 89-89 with seconds left on the clock. Davis then blocked a late shot by Jenkins to earn Killester the valuable points.

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Limerick found the going equally tough against UCD Marian, but eventually pulled off an 87-86 victory. BJ McFarland was once again their key player with a 31-point contribution.

Tralee didn't have to sweat quite as hard in their 98-85 win over Tolka Rovers, to leave them - along with Killester and Limerick - with 11 wins from their 15 games. Waterford have won 13 of their 16 games.

Less pleased will be St Vincent's, who yesterday fell 83-63 to the Demons, while there was disappointment for the other Cork club Neptune, who lost 82-81 to Star of the Sea.

The women's league remains a two-way battle between the Wildcats and Tolka Rovers. Rovers pressed all the way in their 62-60 win over Killester, while the Wildcats had some breathing space in their 76- 66 win over Meteors.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics