Domino’s Men’s Super League National Cup – Round 1
Limerick Celtics 87
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 75
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors exited the Mens Super League National Cup at the hands of Limerick Celtics, losing out 87-75 in the first round clash played at Crescent College Comprehensive in Limerick on Sunday afternoon.
Having suffered a 19 point defeat the previous week in the Super League meeting of the sides in Tralee, the Warriors needed a fast start on Sunday and got it with scores from inside and out from Daniel Jokubaitis and a Daughtry lay up giving the visitors a 7-0 lead. Limerick squared the ledger through Finn Hughes, Peter Turay and Sebastian Cole but when Alec Millender opened his account and Olaf Michalczuk struck for a major score the Warriors led 12-9 midway through. Steven Bowler stormed into the contest with a 7 point volley but Celtics Callum Keyes returned the compliment with 7 of his own. Two identical threes from Millender were countered by Tiras Morton and Keyes but Warriors still led 25-21 at quarter time.
Celtics flew out of the traps early in the second with scores from Cole and Morton giving them the lead for the first time in the game. Turay and Morton chimed in with scores of their own, and from 4 down Celtics went 8 up midway through the second. An Alec Millender three got Warriors moving again and Bowler, Daughtry and Ryan Sheehy added to keep the Tralee side in the game. But when Eoin Quigley and Daughtry conceded their respective third fouls it allowed Philip Kearney, Cole and Morton cash in fully from the free throw line and a major from Kearney pushed the Limerick lead out to 44-34 at half time.
Limerick increased the lead to 14 early in the third, and but for scores from Jokubaitis from either side of the arc, the contest would have been all but over. A Turay double edged Celtics lead back out to 15 but an Olaf Michalczuk trademark three fired up a Warriors run that saw them defiantly play their way back into the game. Millender and Daughtry combined to cut the gap to 7 but Keyes and Morton replied to restore order for Limerick. However, with two stunning threes from Millender and Bowler saw Warriors pare the Celtics advantage back to 59-56 at three quarter time.
Millender’s conversion from the free throw line cut the gap to a single point early in the fourth but all Warriors momentum stalled when Daughtry committed his fifth foul of the game and sat out the remainder of the game. It seemed to fire up Celtics again and a three from Keyes and a 7 point salvo from Cole put 10 between the teams again. To their credit Warriors rallied again with scores from Millender and Sheehy either side of another Bowler corner three gave the visitors some hope of a late turnaround. However, Cole continued building his flawless 13-point final quarter tally and another three from Keyes had the hosts up by 10 again as the clock ticked down. Scores from Quigley and Ryan Sheehy with two late on was not enough to trouble the Celtics who saw out the win with Cronin and Cole both converting from the line to secure their place in the last eight and a home tie against Griffith College Eanna.
Scorers
Limerick Celtics: Sebastian Cole 27, Tiras Morton 18, Callum Keyes 15
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Alec Millender 22, Steven Bowler 13, Daniel Jokubaitis 10
It is back to the League campaign this weekend for Warriors when they make the long journey to Mercy College in Sligo to take on EJ Sligo AllStars on Saturday next with tip off at 7.30pm.