PHOTOS/REPORT: Garvey’s Tralee Warriors Lose Out In Battle With Super League Rivals

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Alan Cantwell reports on another loss for Garvey’s Tralee Warriors at home at the weekend…

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 71

Black Amber Templeogue 80

Action from Saturday’s game. Photo by Liam Ryan

Last season Black Amber Templeogue were the only Super League team to come to Tralee and claim a victory against the Garvey’s Tralee Warriors.

Last Saturday night they emulated that achievement to inflict another home defeat on the Tralee side with a nine point win in front of another packed out Tralee Sports Complex.

Dusan Bogdanovic landed the Warriors opening score and followed it with two more early baskets and when Kieran Donaghy chipped in from play and hit two free throws pushed the Warriors out to an 8-2 lead.

Templeogue were back on level terms midway through the quarter with Stephen James, Puff Summers and Jason Killeen all in range and when Neil Randolph dropped in a couple from the free throw line Templeogue edged ahead 11-10.

Action from Saturday’s game. Photo by Liam Ryan

Goran Pantovic converted two from the line before shooting back-to-back scores and when Donaghy fired in the Warriors led 18-11.

Sergi Sole Bertran hit two in a row for the visitors but when Eoin Quigley and Trae Pemberton both stepped in to land threes the Warriors led 25-17 at quarter time.

Into the second quarter and Kieran Donaghy fired in a score from under the board and when he steadied to land from distance the Warriors led by 9.

But at the other end Lorcan Murphy literally sprang into action for Templeogue as he acrobatically fired in nine points including a three point score from the corner to bring Templeogue right back into the contest.

Action from Saturday’s game. Photo by Liam Ryan

Goran Pantovic, Donaghy and couple from Trae Pemberton had the Warriors ahead by 11. The introduction of Jean Francois Basileu and Sergi Bertran paid dividends for the visitors with a couple of scores and with another from Summers and a three from James the Dublin side cut the advantage to 4.

However Pantovic with a jump shot and Eoin Quigley with a big three point score saw the Warriors take a 46-39 lead to the long break.

Trae Pemberton launched his second three of the game to open proceedings and Pantovic added another couple for the Warriors early in the third.

But defensive gaps were beginning appear in the home side rearguard and Mike Bonaparte, Murphy and James all took their chances to hit a blitz of four three pointers to bring the sides level.

Action from Saturday’s game. Photo by Liam Ryan

The visitors surrendered some of the advantage with a quick succession of fouls with Bogdanovic and Pemberton obliging from the free throw line.

However Bonaparte continued to torment the Warriors defence and another couple of scores and his third three of the quarter saw Templeogue take the lead for the first time at a crucial stage as the sides turned to head down the stretch.

Bertran added two from free throws for the League Champions and when Neil Randolph found the basket with the last score of the quarter Templeogue led by 64-59.

A Pemberton three pointer cut the deficit to a single score early in the final quarter but the Warriors continued to invite the Dublin side to shoot from distance and their accuracy from range was proving to be difference between the sides.

As the Warriors struggled to add to the scoreboard at one end the visitors hit three quick fire threes and at the midpoint of the quarter led by 9.

A Fergal O’Sullivan three brought the home crowd to their feet as they did their best to summon a dramatic finale from the Warriors.

But it wasn’t to be as Templeogue calmly added scores from Randolph and the outstanding Bonaparte to settle the contest late on.

A score from Kieran Donaghy in the last few seconds brought the final deficit to single figures as Templeogue saw out the win by 80-71 in the end.

Scorers 

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Trae Pemberton 20, Kieran Donaghy 17, Goran Pantovic 17

Black Amber Templeogue: Lorcan Murphy 23, Mike Bonaparte 19, Stephen James 11

• The Warriors now lie in fifth place on the Super League table behind Templeogue, UCD Marian, Griffith Swords Thunder and Pyrobel Killester.

Next up for the Garvey’s Tralee Warriors is the trip to Belfast to take on Belfast Star in the Methodist College at 7.00pm on Saturday night. Following that they welcome UCC Demons to the Tralee Sports Complex on Sunday the 3rd December with a 3.00pm tip off. And on Friday the 8th December the Warriors head to the Mardyke to face the Demons in a Cup quarter final showdown.

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