LimerickCeltics 102
Scott’s Lakers St Paul’s 84
Enda Walshe reports
If a good start is half the battle, a poor start must mean it’s twice the work.
Not for the first time this season Scott’s Lakers St Paul’s were like a greyhound left in the traps as the Limerick Celtics got to the first bend a lot quicker and were never headed.
Coach Jarlath Lee will be glad to get a couple of weeks work into his squad ahead of two home games pre-Christmas. Those clashes against Moy Tolka Rovers and SETU Waterford Vikings will offer them an opportunity to get their season back on track.
After winning two of their first three games, they’ve now lost three on the spin. To be fair, it hasn’t been an ideal opening to the season with key figures injured or unavailable and there’s no doubt that with a fully fit squad available they are a match for anyone in the league. Lee lamented: “We need a full squad to have a big say in this league. Rui, Ronan and David are serious players to be missing so we’ll be looking to have some good training sessions in the next two weeks”.
Shorn of Ronan Collins and Rui Saravia, due to family commitments, and with David Gleeson still on the injured list, this visit to the Crescent College to face the high-flying Limerick Celtics was always a toughie and falling behind 13-2 in the opening minutes didn’t make the task any easier.
Miles O’Donnell and Joshua Reynolds were creating carnage in those moments with Aron Walker firing the only response. But Jack Ferguson and Senan O’Leary hit some good outside shots and brought the game back to 17-13.
The towering Scott Hankin was starting to put his stamp on proceedings and with Reynolds constantly probing the Lakers defence had their hands full. Ferguson, Walker and the returning Marko Bencic all netted but the Celtics led 35-21 at the end of the first quarter.
Jack O’Sullivan hit the opening basket of the second quarter and with the other Jack, Ferguson, getting through some good work, the gap was cut to 11, 41-30.
A tight rein was being kept on Reynolds at this juncture but Hankin and Danny Mooney kept the pressure on and despite Ferguson, Senan O’Leary and Eoin O’Carroll baskets, the lead was still a dozen at half-time, 54-42.
The Lakers had worked particularly hard in this quarter but couldn’t close the gap with some shots just refusing to drop.
The third quarter was all about Joshua Reynolds as he exploded into life at this stage, hitting 16 points and in truth the Lakers had no answer to his promptings. Hankin and O’Donnell didn’t let up either but credit to Ferguson, O’Leary, Walker and Jamie O’Sullivan they did keep chipping away but at 81-62 to the hosts, the fourth quarter was a big mountain to climb.
The usual suspects, Hankin and Reynolds, continued to torment as the Lakers pushed hard to close the gap. Youngster Eoin O’Carroll joined Jack O’Sullivan on court and they brought with them an energy combining to score eight points. But there was to be no reeling in of the Celtics and they ran out winners on a 102 to 84 scoreline.
Coach Lee was happy with the contribution of the young players: “Senan really helped out in offence while Eoin O’Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan gave us some intensity in the last quarter as we needed to get some stops in.
“Offensively, Jack Ferguson is doing a great job but we’ll need a greater spread of scorers from here on. Defensively we weren’t at our best either, Mark O’Shea aside, so we’ll be hoping to have everyone for our upcoming home games because with a full squad we’ll be much better,” he said.
Jack Ferguson hit a season high 35 points with both Aron Walker and Senan O’Leary on 13. Marko Bencic and Jack O’Sullivan had eight each, Eoin O Carroll netted fiveand Jamie O’Sullivan had two.
Mark O’Shea, Paul Clarke and Oisin Spring all put their shoulders to the wheel but to little avail. For the Celtics Joshua Reynolds had a game high 38, Scott Hankin hit 20 and Miles O’Donnell struck 18.
The Lakers are at home to one of the form teams in the league in Tolka Rovers on Saturday, December 10 with no league action this weekend coming. SETU Waterford Vikings will also visit the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre on Saturday, December 17, a game that will be the second part of a double bill with the St Paul’s ladies hosting Portlaoise Panthers beforehand.
Boost business: Book your Christmas advertising now – 087-2229761 or news@killarneytoday.com
