Dominos Mens Super League R21
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 71
Energywise Ireland Neptune 89
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors suffered their fourth home defeat in a row going down 89-71 to Energywise Ireland Neptune at the Kerry Sports Academy on Saturday night. The Cork side kept their hopes of playing Super League basketball well and truly alive as the regulation season draws to a close next weekend. Neptune, facing imminent relegation if defeated, built an early lead that the Warriors never managed to bridge as the game unfolded and now the Tralee side face the challenge of needing to rubber stamp their ticket for the playoffs by taking maximum value from their final two regulation games in the coming week.
Neptune flew out the blocks with former Warrior Greg Adon calmly swishing the opening score from beyond the arc that set the scene for what was to follow. Eoin Nelson, Samuel Henderson, Michael Hayes and Eli Lenihan all opened their accounts to add to Adon’s effort and midway through the first quarter they led 17-5. The Warriors were limited to just a major score from Eoin Quigley and an effort from close range from Cian Sullivan and despite Quigley striking again from distance and Steven Bowler adding his name to the scoresheet, Henderson drilled another three pointer and Hayes followed that with a double to put Neptune 26-12 up at the end of the first.
An early basket from Iggy Hunte sparked a Warriors response and despite Nil Sabata coming off the bench to hit a double, Daniel Jokubaitis lit up to crack in two three pointers and convert two from the line from an unsportsmanlike call on Sabata to cut the gap to 8. Jordan Perkins, Hunte and Sullivan added to keep Warriors within striking distance of the visitors but Henderson and Hayes hit back with a quickfire 11 points to maintain the Neptune lead. A double from Hunte and an and one from Perkins late on helped the Warriors cause but they still trailed the Cork side by 45-33 at half time.
Dan Bowler came off the bench to fire down a major score to give the Warriors the start they needed in the third quarter and when Perkins followed suit the Neptune lead was down to single figures but Henderson with two majors scores and Hayes and Lenihan from two point territory put 16 between the sides midway through the period. Dan Bowler hit another from beyond the arc and Jokubaitis fired in a stunning three to keep Warriors in the contest but Neptune were afforded two trips to the free throw line with Sabata and Lenihan taking full value. Hayes and Sabata then added a basket each to put Neptune 20 points up as the third quarter ticked down but Hunte and Quigley added late on to leave the scoreline reading 49-65 as the sides headed into the final quarter.
The Warriors needed to channel the fourth quarter they produced two weeks before against Killester and Olaf Michalczuk gave a hint of that with two signature three pointers, and despite Hayes replying with a double, the Warriors added through Perkins, Hunte and Quigley to pare the Neptune advantage back to 70-61. It looked like the momentum had swung the way of the Warriors until Henderson, Nelson and Hayes wrestled it back with a combined 9 points to put 18 between the teams with 4 minutes on the clock. Even the most faithful of the Warriors faithful could not see a way out for their team and despite Hunte and Perkins adding a score apiece, Neptune’s will to survive in Super League far outweighed the hosts’ ambition to summon a late comeback. Warriors’ concession of two technicals in the final minutes and Henderson hitting his 6th three pointer of the game sealed the deal for Neptune who produced the performance they wished for to give them every chance of keeping their Super League status in place. For the Warriors they must now regroup ahead of the visit of Flexachem KCYMS on Wednesday night before a trip to Eanna in their final game of the regular season next Saturday night needing to secure a win in at least one of the games if their quest for a playoff place is to be realised.
Scorers:
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Iggy Hunte 18, Jordan Perkins 14, Daniel Jokubaitis 11
Energywise Ireland Neptune: Michael Hayes 31, Samuel Henderson 26, Nil Sabata 10
Thanks to Liam Ryan for the images.