Sport

Cork teams get the ball rolling in the search of final glory

BASKETBALL: Four teams in both the men’s and women’s SuperLeague Cups are one step away from a chance at glory as the cup semi…

CIAN NIHILL
Fri Jan 11 2013 - 00:00

BASKETBALL:Four teams in both the men's and women's SuperLeague Cups are one step away from a chance at glory as the cup semi-finals weekend kicks off tonight in Cork.

After a thrilling quarter-final stage both Cork teams emerged in the men’s with Bord Gáis Neptune and UCC Demons setting up a mouth-watering local derby tie. The champions from the past two seasons, UL Eagles and UCD Marian, will meet on the opposite side of the draw having won their respective games.

Meanwhile, the Women’s SuperLeague Cup has pitted WIT Wildcats against the might of defending double champions UL Huskies, while the two closest challengers to Limerick’s throne, DCU Mercy and Team Montenotte Hotel, make up the final four.

A packed Neptune Stadium is expected for the first game of the three-day bonanza, with old rivals UCC Demons and Bord Gáis Neptune squaring off at 7pm tonight night.

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Met twice this season

The sides have met twice already this season, with Demons edging both contests by a single basket.

If they are to succeed for a third straight game against their oldest rivals, Demons head coach Paul Kelleher knows a special effort is required. “There is nothing between the teams, if I am being honest. They have serious length in their frontline, which will be a real challenge for us,” said Kelleher.

Directly after the Demons Neptune clash, defending champions UL Eagles face the team that previously held the cup, UCD Marian, in an apparent David v Goliath type matchup.

Eagles currently sit perched atop the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague table with 11 wins, while UCD Marian possess the worst record in the league with just three.

While it may seem like an uneven battle, Marian have a team stacked with great players, who have been partly unlucky and partly below form in league action but are well capable of causing major upsets.

Defending champions

It is the turn of the women tomorrow night as defending champions UL Huskies take on the challenge of WIT Wildcats in Neptune Stadium.

Huskies head coach James Weldon is hoping his team will play with renewed freedom following the end of their unprecedented 45-game winning streak courtesy of a loss to Team Montenotte Hotel in late December.

Wildcats head coach Tommy O’Mahony knows how monumental a task taking on Huskies is but remains quietly confident his team can cause the upset.

“They have a whole team of great individuals so if one isn’t playing well another invariably is.

“That said, every team has their chinks and while theirs might be harder to find than others, we just have to do our best to find them.”

The final spot in the SuperLeague Cup finals will fall to either DCU Mercy or Team Montenotte Hotel Cork, whose growing rivalry will have another chapter added after tomorrow night.

“There has been a great rivalry over the past ten years between the teams and traditionally there has been nothing in the games,” said Mercy head coach Mark Ingle.