Laker bounce back with win after defeat
MEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
IT was a weekend of mixed fortunes for Scotts Lakers with back to back games in less than 24 hours. On Saturday they were pipped by league leaders Ballincollig in Cork but they bounced back well to enjoy a comprehensive 96-79 win over Carlow IT in KIllarney Sports Centre.
Ballincollig 82 Scotts Lakers 77
SCOTTS Lakers put up a brave attempt to close the gap that Tradehouse Central Ballincollig have on the league table but were eventually overcome in the final quarter after a closely contested encounter. Ballincollig got off to a flying start and led 23 to 18 at the end of the first quarter.
However Scotts Lakers fought back and brought the score to the minimum by half-time to trail 3837. Scotts Lakers maintained their momentum upon the resumption and actually led 52-56, with 3.31 left in the third quarter Ballincollig finished this quarter the better and it was a tied ball game at 61 points each at the end of the third quarter.
The home side opened a fivepoint lead, 69-64, and maintained that advantage to lead 79-74 with 1.55 remaining. Scotts Lakers just could not close this margin by the full-time buzzer and the game ended with a five point win for Ballincollig. It was another five point winning margin that the Cork side enjoyed over Scotts Lakers for the second time this season having won 101-96 in Killarney in October. SCOTTS Lakers had to re-group quickly for Sunday afternoon’s game with Carlow IT, who were hot on Lakers heels in third place on the league table. The Killarney side were in control throughout this match. Sean O’Brien and team captain Mark Greene put on a display of three-point shooting that helped to put Lakers 28 -15 in the lead at the end of the first quarter.
Lakers dominance continued in the second quarter where Cian Clernon and Papito Hersisia found the big scores. At the half-time mark Lakers enjoyed a 46-36 advantage.
Dailian Mason and Andrew Fitzgerald hit form during the third quarter. Mason nailed a big three-pointer and Fitzgerald worked hard inside to earn vital scores for Lakers. Marko Bencic also impressed for the home side while Sean O’Brien and Mark Greene continued to hit the big three-pointers and Carlow could not cut the deficit as Lakers led 74 -58 at the end of the third quarter.
Seamus Brosnan started the scoring in the final quarter and the game finished with a comfortable 17 point win for Scotts Lakers. The Killarney side shot a massive 17 three-pointers with the outstanding Mark Greene sinking eight while the ever reliable Sean O’Brien scored four of them.
A remarkable 32-point tally and national league career high from Mark Greene was the highlight of the occasion. It has been a long time since a home grown Killarney player has scored over 30 points in a national league game. In fact one has to go all the way back to October 1996 when the then Killarney team captain Vincent Daly led the way with 35 points in a dramatic 79-77 win over Killester in the opening game of the superleague season.
SCOTTS LAKERS: Mark Greene 32, Sean O’Brien 18, Papito Hersisia 14, Andrew Fitzgerald 9, Cian Clernon 9, Dailian Mason 8, Marko Bencic 5, Seamus Brosnan 1.
CARLOW: Johnny McCarthy 24, Kevin Donohue 21, James Butler 17
THE outcome of the weekend games is that Ballincollig increase their lead at the top of the league table with a 14-0 winning record. Scotts Lakers remain in second place with a 12-3 record and are three wins ahead of nearest challengers Carlow IT and Limerick Celtics, who both have a 9-5 record.
SCOTTS Lakers are at home in Killarney Sports Centre this Saturday at 7.30pm when they host Limerick Celtics.
The sides clashed very recently in a dramatic national cup quarter final with the Celtics winning 83-81 after overtime. It will be an opportunity for Scotts Lakers to try and make some amends for that result and it promises to be a very exciting encounter again.
Limerick Celtics have an exceptional American player in Turrell Morris while European players Alvero Martinez and Fabio Hernandez are also capable of big performances. Former Limerick footballer John Galvin played with the Celtics last season and is expected to return to the side again this season and may even feature this weekend.