Alan Cantwell on Garvey’s Tralee Warriors win on Saturday night on the road in Dublin…
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors finished 2017 in second place on the Super League table after securing their 10thwin of the season with a last gasp one point win over bottom of the table KUBS in the Carroll Arena in Greendale on Saturday.
However it could have been a very different had Trae Pemberton not stepped up to land two free throws to edge out the home side after an unconvincing and disjointed performance by the Warriors.
The Tralee side started the game without the services of Kieran Donaghy but despite that made a very assured start to the contest. Darragh O’Hanlon, Darren O’Sullivan and Trae Pemberton all fired in threes and with scores from inside by Dusan Bogdanovic the Warriors found the basket relatively easily in the early stages.
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KUBS resistance came from scores from captain Gary Barron, Eoin McCann, Kevin O’Hanlon and Brian Andrews and midway through the first the Warriors led 17-11.
KUBS drove on from there with a three from Eoin Chubb and a couple from Andrews but Pemberton and Fergal O’Sullivan kept the Warriors just ahead at quarter time 23-20.
The Dublin side started the second in fine style with Andrews again finding his range along with threes from Barron and McCann and despite Fergal O’Sullivan, Pantovic and a Pemberton score from outside, the KUBS turned a three-point quarter time deficit into a seven-point lead.
The Warriors were made to work to bridge the gap which they did through another Pemberton three and back to back scores from Pantovic and when Patrick McCarthy landed a score on his return from injury the game was tied at 39-39 at the half time break.
The Warriors asserted early in the third with two big threes and when Pemberton followed suit the Tralee side pushed out to a 6-point lead.
Fergal O’Sullivan and Eoin Chubb swapped threes and the KUBS added through Barron and Andrews but Pemberton was finding routes to the basket from all angles and with three successful drives saw the Warriors lead 62-54 as the sides turned from home.
When it seemed like the Warriors would make their move to win the game early in the fourth they allowed KUBS a window of opportunity through some wayward shooting and defensive fouls much to the delight of the noisy and enthusiastic home support.
Andrews went to the line to shoot three and Barron backed that up with a score and the extra and suddenly the sides were level again.
Pemberton was twice on the mark again and when he went to the line to hit two for the Warriors he pushed the lead out to 6.
However Andrews hit back with a score followed by two free throws for KUBS that seemed to completely unsettle the Tralee side just as it seemed they had done enough to win the game.
KUBS realised that their chance to win their first Super League of the season had finally arrived and when Barron and O’Hanlon fired in they led by one with just seconds left.
Warriors needed a decisive play to win and it fell to Trae Pemberton to come up with the drive to the basket that forced the foul. He brought his game total to 28 by calmly landing the two free throws to secure the win by the smallest of margins.
Next up for the Warriors is an away trip to Galway on Saturday 13th January to take on Moycullen in the Kingfisher Arena at NUIG.
The Warriors faithful will have to wait until Saturday 3rd February to see their team in action and pack the Tralee Sports Complex again when Pyrobel Killester come to town.
Scorers:
KUBS: Brian Andrews 26, Eoin Chubb 14, Gary Barron 13
Warriors: Trae Pemberton 28, Goran Pantovic 15, Darragh O’Hanlon 11