Preview: David Ahern
A hectic week for Killarney Cougars continues Saturday night with a third home game, as they welcome the Drogheda Wolves to the Presentation Gym for their opening game in the Basketball Ireland President’s National Cup.
The Cougars, eager to defend their home court, are determined to cause a cup upset against a familiar rival.
The last showdown between these two teams was nothing short of thrilling nail-biting 102-99 victory for the Cougars in March, a win that was critical for their league place.
It saw Wolves to miss out on securing a home play-off place, adding extra fuel to their pursuit of a win this time around.
The Wolves’ star performer, Christian Simmons, is the league’s leading scorer has been in top form, posting a stunning 38 points in their recent win over Ulster University. Stopping Simmons will be a key focus for the Cougars, who are determined to strengthen their defence.
The Cougars, though coming off a challenging week with a tight loss to Scott’s Lakers and a tough league loss on Monday night to frontrunners Limerick Celtics, who remain undefeated, still have plenty to offer.
Standout performers Kani Glover and Joshua Strongman have kept energy high and with a fresh signing in Gerdas Malukas stepping in for the injured Iyan Hristov, the team is capable of turning things around.
Captain Jack Lynch and Andrew Fitzgerald will need to find form to keep the Cougars in contention in this high-stakes knockout game that promises to be an intense contest with both teams in need of a confidence boosting win.
The doors open at 7.00pm for this exciting clash that could well go down to the wire. Tip-off at the Presentation Gym is at 7.30pm.
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