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Rolf Stenberg
Finals day

Tralee win second straight Champions Trophy as Glanmire take Women's Playoff final glory

IT Carlow and Fr Matthews took the spoils in the Division One finals.

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: 73

Black Amber Templeogue: 61

GARVEY’S TRALEE WARRIORS retained their Men’s Champions Trophy crown in style this evening as they overcame Black Amber Templeogue 73-61 in the final in Waterford.

A huge display down the stretch from Tralee’s Paul Dick and Goran Pantovic was ultimately the winning of the game for them and they head back to The Kingdom with the champions crown.

A nip-and-tuck first quarter saw Templeogue have the better of the opening exchanges, with strong boards from Jason Killeen coupled with the high energy of Lorcan Murphy edging the Dubliners ahead by the end of the first, 17-14.

A big second quarter followed, with Tralee settling, and Paul Dick beginning to take charge at the top of the key, adding seven points to his side’s tally.

At the other end of the court, Killeen was still causing problems for the Tralee defence, picking off some big scores, but Pemberton pushed Tralee forward, and some nice link up play with Kieran Donaghy saw them move ahead by four at the half time break, 36-32.

Momentum stayed with Tralee as the third got underway, with Goran Pantovic hitting the target in style to keep their lead intact going into the last. They were dealt a major blow with six minutes to play though when Trae Pemberton picked up his fifth foul of the game – but this merely served to inspire them even more, with MVP Paul Dick and Pantovic rounding off some superb moves to win out well in the end and see the three big titles of the men’s season find their home in three different clubs.

Black Amber Templeogue: Eoin Murphy, Sam Walsh, Luke Thompson (2), Mike Bonaparte (6), Iarla McKeon, Stephen James (8), Lawrence Summers (2), Kris Arcilla, Sergi Sole Bertran, Baolach Morrisson, Jason Killeen (22), Neil Randolph (7), Lorcan Murphy (14).

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors:
Gary Murphy, Paul Dick (22), Fergal O’Sullivan, Paul McMahon, Darren O’Sullivan, Darragh O’Hanlon, Eoin Quigley, Kieran Donaghy (6), Trae Pemberton (21), Patrick McCarthy (3), Daire Kennelly, Goran Pantovic (14), Dusan Bogdanovic (7).

MVP: Paul Dick (Garvey’s Tralee Warriors)

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Ambassador UCC Glanmire: 76

Courtyard Liffey Celtics: 63

Ambassador UCC Glanmire also got their hands on a major piece of silverware this afternoon as they ran out 76-63 point winners over reigning champions Courtyard Liffey Celtics.

In another final that was a repeat of last year, Gráinne Dwyer put in a huge display for the Cork side and she – along with a star-studded cast of talented players – drove Glanmire home to glory this afternoon ensuring that the three big women’s titles of the season have also gone to three different clubs.

The opening quarter was neck-and-neck, with Dwyer and Ashley Prim standing out for the Cork side, while a superb display for Áine O’Connor of Liffey Celtics edged them ahead on the first buzzer.

Casey Grace, Claire Rockall and Dwyer were only beginning though, and they took a 10-point lead into half-time following a frantic second quarter.

Facing into a 10-point deficit starting the third, Liffey Celtics certainly were not daunted by the challenge. Tisha Phillips shone bright for them, while Áine O’Connor continued to dominate the boards.

Closing the gap back down to a point, their run was stopped in its tracks as Dwyer and Prim put in huge scores at the other end, and a massive defensive display by Glanmire pushed them out on the break and they stretched their lead back, and held on firm until the full-time buzzer.

Courtyard Liffey Celtics:
Tisha Phillips (21), Devon Brookshire (13), Laura Fortune, Ciara Bracken, Ciara Wheeler, Karen Mealey (3), Niamh Masterson, Sorcha Tiernan (4), Megan Howe (2), Ailbhe O’Connor (4), Aine O’Connor (16), Erin Bracken.

Ambassador UCC Glanmire: Aine McKenna (10), Casey Grace (14), Claire Rockall (8), Avril Braham (3), Grainne Dwyer (18), Ashley Prim (14), Louise Scannell (2), Hannah McCarthy (2), Miriam Byrne (5), Annaliese Murphy, Katy Keating.

MVP: Grainne Dwyer (Ambassador UCC Glanmire)

Ambassador UCC Glanmire Team Ambassador UCC Glanmire Rolf Stenberg Rolf Stenberg

IT Carlow Basketball: 88

Dublin Lions: 72

IT Carlow Basketball meanwhile were crowned Men’s Division One League Cup champions earlier today, with an 88-72 point win over Dublin Lions.

A huge performance across the board from Carlow saw them drive into an early ten-point lead and they continued to impress at both ends of the court to push home to victory in the end.

Despite having played a game less than 24 hours previously, Carlow certainly didn’t look tired, and huge scoring from co-captain Kevin Donohoe, Jimmy Gordon and Armand Vaikuls kept them ahead in the face of a determined Dublin Lions team.

Indeed, Lions had many moments of magic, with young star Tiernan Howe one of the stand-out performers on the day, while Chris McNairney and Muhamed Sabic were hugely impressive as well, but in the end, Carlow had just too much for them and were crowned deserving winners.

Dublin Lions:
Tiernan Howe (19), Muhamed Sabic (12), Tomas Mikalauskas (7), Liamonas Jonaitis (2), Adam O’Reilly (4), Igor Markiewicz (9), Sinal Drame, Chris McNairney (15), Rian Caverley, Harvey Killeen, Salim Yahuza (2), Toms Ludbarzs, Neill Kavanagh (2)

IT Carlow Basketball: Dylan Phelan, Calum Sourke (5), Aaron Whelan (2), Kevin Donohoe (20), Armand Vaikuls (14), Alan O’Neill (15), Shane Maughan, Dan Debosz (5), Ian Lynch (5), Roland Vaikuls, Jimmy Gordon (22).

MVP: Kevin Donohoe (IT Carlow Basketball)

Fr Mathews: 48

Marble City Hawks: 43

Another trophy is headed to Cork this evening as well, with Fr Mathews crowned Women’s Division One champions in the first game of the day, winning out 48-43 in a nail-biter against regular season champions Marble City Hawks.

In a game of sheer grit and endurance, MVP Ashley Cunningham shone bright, putting in a huge display for Mathews. She, along with Emma Gallagher and Niamh Dwyer stormed the team home to their second piece of silverware this season.

They still have one more final to play, lining up against Ulster University Elks next Saturday (March 31st) in the Champions Trophy final up in Belfast.

Marble City Hawks: Claire Kelly, Phil Fogarty (4), Emily Hughes, Rachel Butler, Niamh Sheehy, Kelly O’Hallahan (12), Katie Fox (9), Aine Sheehy (10), Caoimhe O’Neill, Elaine Kennington (4), Ann Prendergast, Sheila Sheehy (4)

Fr Mathews: Hollie Herlihy (5), Amy Fitzgerald, Niamh Dwyer (5), Amanda O’Regan, Rachel Furlong, Emma Gallagher (11), Olivia Dupuy (2), Kellie Cahalane (6), Rachel Finn, Anna Lynch, Lainey Nolan, Ashley Cunningham (19)

MVP: Ashley Cunningham (Fr Mathews)

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