The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Bittersweet day for champions KSV Killorglin
DIVISION ONE LEAGUE CUP KSV Killorglin 91 Dublin Lions 97
KEANES Supervalu Killorglin may have finished their national league campaign but there was still one last competition to play for, which was the Division One League Cup. Dublin Lions were the visitors to Killorglin for the quarter final of this competition and there was the added bonus of the presentation of the league trophy afterwards to the champions.
Dublin Lions came into the game full of confidence after they beat LYIT Donegal up in Donegal the previous weekend to sneak the last qualifying spot in Division 1B and so earn their quarter-final place against Killorglin.
The game started very poorly with both teams being very slow to settle down. Both teams missed very scoreable opportunities before Darragh Jones got Killorglin off the mark with a layup after a slip pass from Declan Wall. It was Jones again who extended Killorglins lead straight afterwards and after a three from Daniel Jackubitus, it looked like they had too much firepower for Dublin Lions early on. The first quarter score was Killorglin 21 Dublin Lions 13.
Killorglin were using their bench to good effect and Jackubitus in particular was enjoying their final home game this season. He was scoring from all over the place and it was clear that Dublin Lions would have to change their game plan or this game was going to be over by half time. Declan Wall and Darragh Jones were outstanding for Killorglin, although the big Croatian centre Ivan Bogdanovic will have better days. Lions were hanging on and their heads never dropped, with Tomas Mikalauskas outside shooting keeping them in touch. The half time score was 50-39 to Killorglin.
The third quarter saw Dublin Lions come out of the blocks and start to make inroads into Killorglins lead. Tomas Mikalauskas and Tiernan Howe were leading the charge for the Lions and their bench was screaming for every score or defensive play. Killorglin got young stars Liam Croke and David Mccarthy into the game and they demonstrated why they have huge futures in top level Basketball, both being very comfortable on the ball and making their scores when the opportunity arose. At the end of the third Killorglin led 71-64.
The last quarter saw Lions grasp the game by the scruff of the neck and it was clear that this game perhaps meant more to them than it did to their hosts. Mikalauskas, Howe and Markiewicz were making shots for fun from outside and looked like they just couldn’t miss, whereas the Killorglin accuracy was a little off in the final quarter. Lions outscored Killorglin 33 points to 20 in this quarter and were fully deserving of their win and now play Ballincollig in the semi-final.
The Killorglin heads didn’t stay down for long as the presentation for winning Division One of the national league was done afterwards by Majella Ahearn on behalf of Basketball Ireland, with co-captains Darragh Jones and Conor Flynn accepting on behalf of Keanes. Club Chairman Niall Murphy explained to everyone the effort that goes into a season like this, from the players’ and club members’ perspective. He thanked Peter Keane and Killorglin’s other sponsors, without whom there would be no team. To the delight of the large crowd, he told everyone to come back next season when the club will participate in the Superleague. The future is indeed bright in KCYMS basketball club.
TOP SCORERS
KILLORGLIN: Daniel Jackubitus 34 pts, Darragh Jones 19 pts, Kevin Grey 16 pts
DUBLIN LIONS: Tomas Mikalauskas 27 pts, Igor Markiewicz 22 pts, Tiernan Howe 12 pts