Popplewell shoots down Longford as Braves march on in Mayo senior league
THE winning streak continued last weekend for Ballina Braves, who extended their unbeaten run to nine games in the LLR Senior Men’s Basketball League.
Longford Phoenix provided the opposition but once again they found Ballina just too hot to handle, the visitors returning with a 92-57 victory and never really under pressure after taking the first quarter 29-12. They continued to turn up the heat in the second quarter to take it 23-16, giving them a half-time lead of 53-28.
Ronan McGarrity was well rested for this game but the man who stepped up the plate was Stephen Popplewell, who hit the game high of 28 points.
Once gain it presented an opportunity for coach Derek Cunningham to run his bench, with the full panel getting plenty of court time, the third quarter going 20-18 to Ballina and the fourth and final quarter also going to Ballina by 20-11.
Two opening three-pointers from McGarrity and Martynas Punakas set the tone for this game as Ballina hit six three-pointers on the night.
However, it was Popplewell who emerged as the top gun on 28 points, including three three-pointers, while Lithuanian Punakas finished with a solid 19. Ronan O’Malley hit 13, Peter Papik finished on 10 and Ronan McGarity, who spent a lot of time on the bench, claimed eight points, while Jack Armstrong came with two nice late baskets.
Braves have no game this weekend, which will give them plenty of time to recharge the batteries as this league turns for home. Ballina are odds-on to top the table, the re-match between the two Mayo teams in Ballina on February 18 likely to draw a big crowd given the highly entertaining game both Meteors and Braves provided in the first fixture at the De La Salle Hall, Castlebar, some weeks ago.
ABANDONED
Elsewhere, condensation forced the abandonment in the interest of safety of the clash between Mayo Meteors and Carrick-on-Shannon on Saturday night.
Officials in Carrick took the wise decision of calling play to a halt as condensation made the floor extremely dangerous.
The game was stopped with just six minutes remaining in the second quarter, with Meteors ahead by 29-13 at that stage.
The likelihood is that the points will be awarded to Mayo Meteors, who are in second place in the league and looking a solid bet for a league final appearance.