There is only one real story in this weekend's ESB League, and that involves UCD Marian. Saturday's win over Killarney was among their most convincing this season, and yesterday they dismissed a stubborn Tralee in equally impressive fashion.

As a result, they move into joint top position on the league table and almost overnight have become title contenders. Killarney were never given a hope. They were down 51-33 at the halfway stage, and UCD Marian went on to win 91-74. Tralee managed to stay in touch a while longer - they trailed by just six at the break - but they eventually went down 85-71.

Key to both of UCD Marian's performances was Kevin Ward. He picked up 26 points on Saturday and improved that to 31 yesterday, when Chris Akers also made a significant contribution from the free throw line. Their unbeaten run now extends back to November 12th, and although few had predicted it, the chances of league victory now appear very real.

Sharing the lead with them are Waterford and Killester. Waterford had the chance to pull clear on their own but were denied by Neptune, who sneaked past them 69-61 on Saturday.

Unfortunately for Neptune, yesterday's meeting with Killester proved less successful. Neptune always looked a tired force and were trailing 50-39 at the break as Damien Sealy did the most damage for Killester.

Waterford did manage to recover on their home court yesterday to defeat a brave Sligo 81-76. It was always as close as the final scoreline suggests, and even though Scott McCarthy inspired a comeback by hitting two three-pointers in the final quarter, Waterford just survived, mainly through the consistent scoring of Lester Hunt.

The women's league remains a head-to-head between the Wildcats and Tolka Rovers, with both sides extending their winning run. The Wildcats had a tough battle with the University of Limerick before prevailing 87-76 while Tolka had a more convincing 74-50 win over the Meteors.