Anderson insists Portlaoise can bounce back in pursuit of Super League promotion

ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers player, Eric Anderson insists their 72-60 defeat at the hands of Limerick Celtics in Saturday’s President’s National Cup final in the National Basketball Arena will only intensify their determination to secure promotion to the Super League this season.

Both Portlaoise and Limerick are strongly tipped to meet again in the Division One play-offs later in the year, with Limerick currently 12 points clear at the top of the South Conference, while Portlaoise lead the North by nine.

Indeed, both teams were heading into Saturday’s National Cup decider looking to also preserve unbeaten records this season, and, for American power forward, Anderson, who emerged joint top scorer from last weekend’s game on 25 points, the fact that Panthers have now lost theirs will only fan the flames of intent when they turn their attention back to National League competition later this week.

“We’re feeling low right now, but we’re going to hold our heads high, because we have a lot more to play for,” Anderson assured the *****Laois Nationalist**** after Saturday’s Cup final defeat.

“The National Cup is a big goal for us in the season, but it’s not the only one. We want to make that push up to the Super League and I definitely think we will.

“This game against Limerick was a good test for us and I still feel we’re the only team that can beat them.

“I think we’re going to meet again in the play-offs when we’ll have some new form. And if we do face them again, they’ll be coming up against a team with a big chip on their shoulder.

“We were right there next to them in the final, but they ran away in the fourth. If shots had fallen for us and if we had hit some more free-throws and layups, it would have been a whole different ball game, but it didn’t happen today.

“I knew from the get-go that it was going to be a rollercoaster. We never played each other, we’d scouted each other pretty well, so we tried to bring it fast, beat them downhill, but they clogged the paint and we ended up relying on our three-point shots.

“I think the ball was just a little sticky, we weren’t swinging it fast enough to get them out of position and we were relying, towards the end, on last-second shots on the shot clock to try and save us, but that doesn’t win championships” he sighed.

There is little doubt that Portlaoise will have learned a whole lot from Saturday’s encounter, and head coach, Jack Scully will certainly draw on that head-to-head experience if he is again tasked with orchestrating another plan to unhinge their Limerick rivals in the play-offs.

The Panthers boss has already led his team to a whole new level this season, with Portlaoise having never before even reached the National Cup semi-finals, and he firmly believes he has the squad to make a serious push for play-off success.

“We haven’t shied away from our ambitions from the start of the year,” Scully told the *****Laois Nationalist***** after Saturday’s National Cup final defeat.

“I feel that we have a team this year that can be really effective and I thought that a cup run and a play-off for Super League promotion was always in us, and I don’t see anything different after today.

“Getting promoted to the Super League has been the aim and we’re not going to shy away from that.

“After today’s game, we know we’re right there with Limerick, so we won’t be afraid of them if we meet again. We’ve just got to learn from our mistakes and be that little bit more efficient.

“It’s been great for us to get to the National Cup final. It’s another stepping stone, but it’s a game that I felt we left behind us, but fair play to Limerick Celtics. When they needed to hit big shots they hit big shots,” he admitted.

Scully will be hoping his players can make a swift return to winning ways when they head back on the road to take on Carrick Cruisers in their next National League outing in Phoenix Centre on Saturday.