Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League 2024/2025 – Round 8
EJ Sligo All-Stars 98
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 90
It took eight rounds of games in the Basketball Ireland Mens Super League season for Garvey’s Tralee Warriors to finally surrender their unbeaten record when they succumbed to EJ Sligo All-Stars by 98-90 at the Mercy College in Sligo on Saturday night. Playing without the services of Mark Stephens through suspension and Greg Adon through injury it always promised to be a tricky assignment against a Sligo side that edged the corresponding fixture last season by 102-101 in an overtime thriller.
It was the home side that made the early running after Warriors Brandon Mahan had opened the scoring with Irish international John Carroll combining with new recruit Robert Montgomery with a basket each and an 8 point volley from Jevonnie Scott giving Sligo an 11-2 lead. Daniel Jokubaitis and Rap Buivydas cut the gap to 5 but Montgomery with two efforts from outside pushed the hosts 17-6 ahead. It sparked a Warriors response from Jokubaitis and Mahan with threes and Buivydas and Quigley from close range, cutting the gap to a single point. Sligo eased ahead again through Scott and Harry Gent but Steven Bowler and Jokubaitis were in range late on to cut the Sligo lead to 24-23 at quarter time.
Sligo’s propensity to shoot from distance saw Tom Child and Montgomery on the mark early in the second but at the other end Rap Buivydas was putting on a one-man offensive show hitting 10 points including a three and one of his trademark reverse lay-ups to see the Warriors lead 35-33 for the first time since Mahan’s opening score. The sides went basket for basket before Jevonnie Scott and Brown combined either side of Tom Child’s second major of the night and despite James Fernane landing his first score from outside, Sligo took a 51-46 lead to the long break.
Sligo took the initiative in the third and an 18 point scoring spree threatened to settle the contest early. John Carroll was unstoppable at the board and a 10 point haul for him added to by scores from Scott and Brown had the hosts 69-54 up midway through the quarter. The Warriors response came in the form of two threes from Mahan but the visitors were struggling from three point territory and when Child and Scott were again on the mark from distance the hosts maintained their sizable lead. However, the Warriors rallied and Cian Sullivan dropped in his second of the game before a Jokubaitis three and another typical Buivydas effort cut the gap to 80-71 at three quarter time.
Brown and Scott added to restore Sligo’s double digit lead early in the final quarter but two lights out efforts from Mahan and another tough finish from Buivydas saw the Warriors right back in the game trailing by 86-82 midway through the quarter. With the game in the balance Sligo stepped up to drive for home with American Jonathan Brown landing a double either side of a mid-range effort from Child to put 8 between the teams. Mahan twice bravely drove through the Sligo defence to keep the Warriors hopes alive but a quick double from Sligo’s new signing Robert Montgomery sealed the deal to see out the 98-90 in the end.
EJ Sligo All-Stars: Jonathan Brown 23, Jevonnie Scott 21, Robert Montgomery 19
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Brandon Mahan 27, Daniel Jokubaitis 23, Rap Buivydas 21