The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Warriors hold firm in Moycullen
GARVEY’S Tralee Warriors started 2018 as they finished 2017 with an edge of the seat Super League win, this time against Moycullen at the Kingfisher Arena at NUIG on Saturday night.
Just as they had done against KUBS in the final game of last year, the Tralee side went right down to the wire to carve out the win and it was Trae Pemberton again who proved his match winning ability with a number of spectacular three point efforts to secure the victory with a 27 point top scoring performance.
For the second time this season just three points separated the sides and the win maintains the Warriors position in outright second place on the table behind leaders UCD Marian.
However, it was the home side that got into their stride early in the first with James Loughnane, Brandon McGuire and Paul Freeman all in range. Trae Pemberton opened the Warriors account with a trademark three before Kieran Donaghy stormed into the contest with back-to-back scores and Goran Pantovic edged the visitors ahead midway through the first.
Donaghy continued to torment the Moycullen defence with three more driving scores and with Darragh O’Hanlon and Pa McCarthy also finding the basket the Warriors led by nine before scores from Cian Nihill and Lougnane cut the lead to 21-17 at quarter-time.
Dusan Bogdanovic fired in two scores early in the second and maintained their lead with another Donaghy drive. Moycullen’s Paul Freeman was finding his way to the basket with relative ease and three scores from under the boards kept the hosts in touch.
Two big threes from Darragh O’Hanlon including a sensational effort from well past halfway saw the Warriors lead by 11, but a hat trick of three pointers from Cian Nihill and James Loughnane had just two between the sides at the long break with the Warriors leading 38-36.
Moycullen took the initiative early in the third with Freeman and McGuire on target and when Loughnane landed a couple from distance the home side were suddenly 11 ahead.
Pemberton cut the lead with two scores, but they were cancelled out by Freeman and McGuire to keep Moycullen’s lead in double figures. The Warriors couldn’t get to the basket until five quick fire scores in a row from Pemberton and Bogdanovic bridged the gap and saw the sides level at 56 all heading down the stretch.
Pemberton took the game to Moycullen early in the fourth when producing a short masterclass of shooting from distance and with Goran Pantovic following up by slamming in a dunk it pushed the Warriors out to what looked like a match winning lead.
The hosts, however, had other ideas and Loughnane, Freeman and Dylan Cunningham all in range the Warriors lead was down to 4 before a close range effort from Bogdanovic and a miracle driving score from Pemberton had the visitors eight points clear.
Moycullen finished the contest in style with Cunningham and Nihill on the mark and ensured a dramatic finale when Freeman landed two free throws to leave a single point between the sides inside the final minute.
Still the Warriors saw out the win with foul free throws from Pemberton and Donaghy and in the end happened to match the winning margin of the thrilling encounter between the sides in Tralee last October.
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