Mayo Meteors and Ballina Braves both off to flying starts
MAYO’S two senior men’s basketball teams both made winning starts in the opening round of the LLR Regional League.
Mayo Meteors were way too strong for Sligo and came away with an impressive victory, while Ballina Braves, who have entered the league for the first time, did well to return from Castlerea with both points, finishing with 10 to spare in a game littered with three-pointers, the Braves hitting seven in total and Castlerea replying with six of their own.
Meteors had an 82-61 win over Sligo having built a solid lead after the first two quarters, winning them 19-11 and 23-11 respectively.
Herman Heyl, the former St. Gerald’s College player who has returned to Castlebar, was in top form, as were Alex Evans, Bartomici Zalaweski and Daniel Nyland, while coach Terry Kennedy gave his panel plenty of court time having built up a commanding 20-point lead after the opening two quarters.
Kennedy is still planning to enter a Mayo team in Division 1 of the National League next season, with the possibility of a player from the US being brought in to strengthen the team.
Said Kennedy: “It’s always good to get an early win under your belt but this is looking like it will be a tough league this year. We have a great panel of players so I would be hoping to build on what we achieved for the last two seasons.”
Added Kennedy: “We hope to build a team this season with an eye on entering the National League next year and I will be hoping to bring in at least one US player.”
Meanwhile Ballina Braves coach Derek Cunningham was more than happy to come away from Castlerea with a 10-point win, 73-63.
The Braves have assembled a very experienced team, with former Ballina National League players Ronan McGarrity and Paul Barrett bringing huge experience to the team while they have also unearthed a very exciting Polish player.
“It was tough opening game for us,” said Derek. “We were down 13-2 after four minutes, but we gradually get into the game and the experienced counted in the end.”
Top scorer for the Braves, who hit seven three-pointers during the game, was their Polish player, Martynas Pamukas who finished on 15. Ronan McGarrity nailed 14 and young Markie Cunningham came up with a massive 14 points too.
The clash between the two Mayo sides should bring a good crowd to the De La Salle Hall on December 3 when they meet in the league.
Meteors have a home game this Saturday night at the De La Salle Hall, Castlebar, where they face Carrick Cougars from Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. Tip-off is 8 o’clock.