Portlaoise continue strong start in National League with emphatic win over Killarney
Once again Rich Ashu was on the mark for Portlaoise Panthers scoring 31 points in the defeat of Killlarney Cougars Photo: David Maher
Basketball Ireland Men’s Division 1
Killarney Cougars 78
ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers 96
ANOTHER huge performance by centre, Rich Ashu provided the groundwork for ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers’ impressive win on the road against Killarney Cougars on Saturday night.
In what was the Laois side’s fourth straight win of their Domino’s Men’s Division One campaign, they left their hosts with a mountain to scale by the halftime break, by which point they had roared into a 58-34 lead.
Ashu accounted for 17 of that opening half tally, emerging the game’s top scorer on 31 points by the close of proceedings, with a superb haul of 17 rebounds to boot.
Portlaoise had five players in double digits by the final buzzer, Michael Wallace and Davin McEvoy weighing in with a combined 38, while Kevin Donohoe (12) and Xabi Arriaga (11) also made quite an impact, the latter taking nine boards and making as many assists on the night.
It was more than sufficient to counter the primary weapons of Killarney, who, themselves, had three players in double figures, namely Simon Olanipekun on 25, with Jack Ryan and Paul Adedeji serving up a further 20 apiece.
While Killarney were first off the mark by way of a deuce and free throw from Adedeji, it was to prove very much a false dawn for the hosts, who continued on to ship the next 18 points.
Davin McEvoy levelled it up with his effort from beyond the arc, after which Ashu, Arriaga, Wallace, and Dylan Dunne all got in to leave Panthers 15 points up with just over six minutes played.
Killarney finally got going again with another Adedeji free throw, but conversions from both sides of arc by McEvoy helped maintain a commanding 27-16 cushion for the visitors heading into the second quarter.
Portlaoise kept their foot on the gas when they returned to the floor, Donohoe and Wallace getting in for a buckets before Jack Spillane pulled three back for Cougars.
A seven-point run, that featured a sublime treble and two free throws by Arriaga, only tightened Portlaoise’s hold on this game.
And, while Killarney hit back with an Adedeji deuce and two from the line by Olanipekun, Panthers served up another seven unanswered points, compliments of McEvoy and Ashu to really keep this tie under lock.
Ashu buckets either sides of scores for the homeside by Olanipekun and Adedeji, helped see Portlaoise take a 24-point advantage into the break.
Cougars were in need of something special to haul this game out of the fire in the second half, but any such hope quickly evaporated as Portlaoise opened up the third quarter with 11 points without reply to widen the gap to a massive 35.
An ‘and one’ by Ashu ignited that run, to which McEvoy and Wallace contributed fine three-pointers, and, even halting that drive with two quick buckets by Olanipekun and Kenny Shimwa offered Killarney very little hope of a way back.
The home side, to their credit, kept battling and carded a seven-point run that was ended when Donohue struck from downtown.
Both he and Josh Vermiglio exchanged further threes to close out the third quarter, at the end of which Portlaoise led 81-55, Wallace and McEvoy making it a 30-point gap as they put up further baskets early in the fourth.
Killarney did manage to recoup eight in that final period, Jack Ryan and Olanipekun leading that late charge with a combined 17 points.
But, there was never going to be any way back for the Kerry side, as Ashu’s ruthlessness on the inside ensured Portlaoise would remain very much out of reach in their bid to make it four from four.
While Portlaoise head coach, Jack Scully was unable to travel with the team on that occasion due to him running in the Dublin Marathon on Sunday, he was delighted to see his side pick up another valuable three points on the road.
“That’s three games away from home on the trot and another three wins,” he told the .
“The team is definitely where I want it to be at the moment. We’re winning games and we’re winning them comfortably.
“But we know there are bigger games coming, so we’re not getting carried away. But it’s another solid start to the season and we’ll just keep taking it game by game,” he insisted.
KILLARNEY COUGARS: Adam Lenihan, Lucas Cronin, Jack Ryan, Josh Vermiglio, Simon Olanipekun, Paul Adedeji, Kenny Shimwa, Jack Spillane, Conor O’Mahony.
Top Scorers: Simon Olanipekun (25), Jack Ryan (20), Paul Adedeji (20).
ND AUDIT PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Dylan Dunne, Michael Wallace, Rich Ashu, Conor Byrne, Trevor Swayne, Davin McEvoy, Kevin Donohoe, Xabi Arriaga.
Top Scorers: Rich Ashu (31), Michael Wallace (20), Davin McEvoy (18), Kevin Donohoe (12), Xabi Arriaga (11).
