Panthers weather colossal North West challenge to preserve play-off hopes

Basketball Ireland Men’s Division 1 

ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers 101 

Team North West 90 

ND AUDIT Portlaoise Panthers surmounted a huge challenge from Team North West in St Mary’s Hall on Saturday night to keep alive their bid for a play-off berth, as the Men’s National League Division One season heads into its final weekend.

Jack Scully’s side edged three of the four quarters last weekend, as Amiri Stewart and Davin McEvoy totalled 56 points between them.

Xabi Arriaga also played a huge part in this latest victory for the Laois outfit, adding a further 23 to the scoreboard, while also carding nine rebounds and eight assists on the night.

It was a much-needed contribution, as Portlaoise struggled to get a handle on Team North West’s Thomas DiRienzo, who ended the contest on a game-high 35 points, while Luke Cassidy and Thomas Reynolds weighed in with an additional 31 between them for the North Conference table props.

The victory for Portlaoise means they remain hot on the heels of fourth place Titans in the South Conference, hoping the Galway side slip up against Tipp Talons in their closing game of the regular season, which would afford them the opportunity to overtake should they beat Maigh Cuilinn in their final fixture back in St Mary’s next Saturday night.

Save for a brief period almost midway through the fourth quarter when the game was deadlocked at 80 points apiece, Portlaoise managed to hold on to the lead right the way through Saturday’s clash, hitting seven unanswered points down the stretch to make it over the line.

A bucket from Kevin Donohoe, followed by a treble from McEvoy, handed them an early lead that they maintained for the most part despite their opponents snapping at their heels.

Indeed, North West, on three occasions throughout the opening quarter, had the gap down to the bare minimum as DiRienzo picked up scores from every part of the court.

But a combined 15 points in the same period by Stewart and McEvoy helped keep Panthers in the driving seat, as they ended the initial ten minutes of play with a 23-19 lead.

Portlaoise bagged the opening six points of the second quarter, compliments of Jayden Umeh and Trevor Swayne to enlarge the deficit to 10, but, again, the Donegal side battled their way back to within one by the midway point of that stanza as Cassidy and Alfie McCoy dropped shots from off the three-point line.

A treble from McEvoy and two free throws from Stewart managed to preserve Panthers’ slender cushion, and Dylan Dunne also struck from outside in the closing minute of the half to help send the hosts in at the break with a 50-43 lead.

Arriaga opened the second half with two points from the free-throw, but that was more than cancelled out by long-range efforts from Cassidy and DiRienzo.

A seven-point run, that feature another Arriaga three, pushed Panthers’ lead back out to 10, but the visitors refused to go away and further attempts from beyond the arc by Cassidy and McCoy helped bring the game back to two.

Portlaoise, however, were able to scramble together another couple of mini runs, as Arriaga picked off his third triple of the night in the closing minute of the third to help send the home side into the fourth with a 76-69 advantage.

Yet, within two minutes of that final period, North West were, again, back to within one and another dagger from outside by Cassidy drew his side level with six minutes to go.

Portlaoise, nevertheless, refused to buckle and hit back with six straight points, all, but one of those, coming from Stewart, as the hosts reclaimed the initiative and pushed on down the stretch with the aid of six free throws from Arriaga and a three-point strike from Donohoe.

ND AUDIT PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Dylan Dunne, Amiri Darrell Stewart, Jayden Umeh, Trevor Swayne, Davin McEvoy, Kevin Donohoe, Xabi Arriaga, Love Omoijade, Desmond Ogedegbe, Justice Iheme.

Top Scorers: Amiri Darrell Stewart (31), Davin McEvoy (25), Xabi Arriaga (23).

TEAM NORTH WEST: Alfie McCoy, Thomas Reynolds, Luke Cassidy, Chukwuebuka Anene, Noah Martin, Thomas DiRienzo, Mark Cannon.

Top Scorers: Thomas DiRienzo (35), Luke Cassidy (16), Thomas Reynolds (15).