Lakers pipped by a point Letterkenny

LYIT 76 Scotts Lakers 75

IN a match that could have gone any way Scotts Lakers came very close to snatching victory after a long road trip but were pipped by a point by Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) in a very exciting clash at The Bishops Field Sports Centre Derry on Saturday.

Scotts Lakers enjoyed a productive opening quarter and with Antuan Bootle making his presence felt, the Killarney side led 19-16 at the end of the first quarter.

The Lakers introduced new signing Dan Griffin for this match and certainly will be a big addition to the squad as the season progresses. The Castleisland native was returning to the game after a recent injury and chipped in with an impressive eight points and eight rebounds despite playing only half the match.

LYIT responded well with effective double team defence to restrict the threat of Antuan Bootle in the second quarter and the home side were 37-31 in front at half-time.

Bootle hit 16 point in the first half but ran into foul trouble during the second half which restricted his time on court. Justin Tuason did well when introduced and along with good three-point shooting from Mihail Kapitanov, the Lakers did well to claw back a 16-point deficit and it was a tied ball game at 55 points each entering the final quarter.

Despite Bootle being on four fouls and staying on the bench for most of the final quarter,

Lakers led 70-64 with five minutes remaining. Andrew Fitzgerald, Shane Horgan and Mark Greene all featured prominently as the Killarney side maintained their advantage to lead 73-71 entering the final two minutes. However LYIT turned it around with an outrageous uncontested three-pointer from Paul McHugh and the home side led 74-73 with 1.10 remaining.

Lakers restored their lead and were 75-74 in front with 30 seconds left. However Chaz Watler hit two free throws for the home side and LYIT led 76-75 with 22 seconds remaining. With Antuan Bootle back on the floor, Lakers still had an opportunity to work the ball up the floor and look for the safest and best possible option to secure a victory. Despite their best efforts that never materialised and the home side held on to win. LYIT: Chaz Watler 23, Jon McGill 17, Jordan McClelland 11.

SCOTTS LAKERS ST PAUL’S: Antuan Bootle 23, Mihail Kapitanov 20, Andrew Fitzgearld 10, Mark Greene 9, Dan Grffin 8, Justin Tuason 5, Philip O’Connor, Shane Horgan, Billy Wiseman, Dylan O’Sullivan.

SCOTTS Lakers return to Killarney Sports Centre this Saturday November 4 and will play host to Galway Titans. The Killarney side will be anxious to a return to winning ways against a Galway side that have only enjoyed one win from six outings so far this season.

A full strength Lakers squad should be more than capable of securing a victory but a much improved team performance on recent outings will be required. Padraig Lucey’s return and the addition of Dan Griffin will be welcome under the boards alongside Antuan Bootle and Andrew Fitzgerald while Mihail Kapitanov, Mark Greene, Justin Tuason, Philip O’Connor and Shane Horgan are all capable of spearheading a strong challenge against the Galway side.

Coached by Paul Langan, Titans are led by American Keegan Ryan, Hector Gonzalez, Toms Fabriciuss, Emmanuel Saah, Randal Kozlov and exciting teenage prospect Eoin Coughlan. The latter is a son of former Killarney supremo Joe Coughlan, head coach of the St. Paul’s Superleague team in the mid 1990s. Tip-off in Killarney Sports Centre is at 7.30pm.