Panthers suffer first setback as Tipp Talons edge thriller
Once again Rich Ashu was on the mark for Portlaoise Panthers Photo: David Maher
AFTER struggling to shackle the irrepressible Christopher Gayles Jr, Bowes Auto Centre Portlaoise Panthers suffered their first defeat of the Men’s National League Division One season when they travelled to Tipp Talons on Friday night.
With a colossal triple-double of 47 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Gayles proved a huge headache for Portlaoise, who will nevertheless feel they let this one slip.
Indeed, having led by six almost midway through the second quarter, the visitors to Scoil Ruain found themselves facing a 15-point deficit by the time they were heading into the final quarter.
And even at that, they still managed to claw their way back to within three of their hosts with more than two minutes remaining, only to see Talons again pull clear down the stretch as Gayles punished both from the field and the free-throw line.
For Portlaoise forward Rich Ashu, who himself served up another big performance with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, this game was one that got away from them.
“We’re a little bit disappointed that we let that one slip,” sighed Ashu. “I'm really happy with how we fought back, for sure, and how we stayed composed, having been down by quite a bit heading into the fourth.
“But I definitely think we let Tipp feel a little bit too comfortable. We let them feed off the energy of their crowd and they made a couple of big plays down the stretch, and that gave them the energy to close the game out.
“We did match that energy well, but unfortunately, we just couldn't get over that hurdle. The way we were able to stay together as a team, I'm really proud of, but, of course, at the end of it, we’re still a little bit disappointed.
“It’s tough to say, but it was just his [Gayles’] night. We had a tough time stopping him. We definitely stuck to our game plan and that was going well, but he just could not miss, unfortunately,” Ashu told The Laois Nationalist.
Despite this early setback in the league, Ashu has been particularly pleased with the strong partnership he has quickly formed with another of Portlaoise’s summer signings, Tommy Dirienzo, who also weighed in heavily on the scoreboard on Friday night with 24 points, in addition to five rebounds and three assists.
“I feel like me and Tommy have a great connection right now,” insisted Ashu. “I feel like we're definitely going to be a duo to beat and, moving forward, teams are going to be looking to take us out of our game, but we expect that, and we're ready for it.
“I also think the array of great Irish talent that we have around us is definitely going to be of huge benefit to us as well,” he added.
Certainly, Ashu and Dirienzo played a big part in helping propel Panthers six points ahead deep into the second quarter, the two players combining for 22 points in that period.
But with Gayles netting 10 in the opening quarter and a further 15 in the second, Tipp moved into an eight-point lead (51-43) by the half-time recess.
Gayles continued to prove a thorn in the side of the visitors after the break, chalking up a further 13 points, while Daniel O’Meara and Isaac Temilola added big buckets from both sides of the arc to see Talons extend their lead to 15 (76-61) by the close of the third.
Timely trebles by Dylan Dunne, Jayden Umeh and Dirienzo dragged Portlaoise back to within three of Tipp with 2:31 remaining on the clock, but free throws from O’Meara and Gayles, coupled with buckets from Rian Broderick and Temilola, propelled the hosts clear down the home straight.
Despite this reversal, Ashu remained upbeat and insists Panthers can bounce back quickly when they go on the road again to face Maree next Saturday.
“I'm still very confident moving into our next couple of games,” he said. “I'm still backing our guys and saying that we are the team to beat this year.
“I think that Tipp know that they stole one from us, and many teams are going to be looking to do the same, but I'm very confident that we won't give them that chance.
“I think Maree are going to be another tough challenge for us. They’ve got a couple of good players, but I think our preparation leading into that game is going to be vital, and that's the preparation that's going to hopefully get us the win.”
Christopher Gayles Jr, Daniel O’Meara, Isaac Temilola, Jeremy Hla, Rian Broderick, Jamie Connor, Xabi Arriaga.
Top Scorers: Christopher Gayles Jr (47), Isaac Temilola (24), Daniel O’Meara (12).
Dylan Dunne, Cillian O’Connell, Jayden Umeh, Trevor Swayne, Davin McEvoy, Kevin Donohoe, Rich Ashu, Gary Morrissey, Tommy Dirienzo.
Top Scorers: Rich Ashu (27), Tommy Dirienzo (24), Kevin Donohoe (13).
