.
Alan Cantwell on a great win for Garvey’s Tralee Warriors in last night’s Champions Trophy semi-final…
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors will take on Black Amber Templeogue in the Champions Trophy final in a repeat of last year’s decider after they overcame Super League champions UCD Marian by 82-78 in a pulsating semi final in UL Arena in Limerick on Thursday night.
All roads now lead to WIT in Waterford for the final, a repeat of last year’s absorbing final with the Warriors edging a memorable battle by a single point after overtime.
Its Garvey’s Tralee Warriors v Black Amber Templeogue with tip off on Saturday night at 7.00pm.
Continued below…
.
In a high scoring first quarter last night, Marian were busy at the basket early with Conor Meany, Scott Kinevane, Mario Markowizc and JJ Llobera all in range but after Goran Pantovic opened the scoring for Warriors Paul Dick hit to threes either side of an outside effort from Kieran Donaghy and the Warrriors led 12-8.
The sides went score for score until Pantovic found his way to hit a hat trick of scores to push the Tralee side ahead by 10.
Mike Garrow struck back with 5 points for UCD before a double from Donaghy and a Dusan Bogdanovic effort under the boards saw the Warriors lead 31-23 at quarter time.
The sides settled into the battle the second quarter with Llobera and Meany on the mark for UCD before Donaghy stepped into fire in his second and third threes of the night.
Garrow again hit back in kind for Marian and when he and Llobera added baskets from inside the sides were level at 40 point apiece.
Paul Dick lobbed in to bring his first half tally to 10 points before Darragh O’Hanlon got a sight of the basket from distance to hit a super three just before the long break to see the Warriors lead by 46-40.
O’Hanlon repeated the dose early in the third either side of two Paul Dick efforts but UCD were keeping in touch largely through Garrow and Meany who each hit a three.
Trae Pemberton hit his first basket before a superb cameo from Pa McCarthy saw him hit three scores in a row to push the Warriors lead out to 12. Neil Baynes and Kinevane found two late baskets for UCD either side of Donaghy’s fourth three of the night and Marian were facing a 10-point deficit turning for home.
The Warriors appeared to have the rails run for the final quarter but Marian had other ideas and set about dismantling the Tralee lead with 10 unanswered points in a row through Garrow, Meany, Markowicz and Barry Drumm.
Paul Dick arrested the slide with a score before Donaghy converted two from the line to steady the Warriors ship.
Drumm was back for more with another two and when Llobera banked in suddenly the Super League champions were ahead for the first time since the opening score of the game. Pantovic then managed to get an impossible shot away and added the extra and a typical Donaghy driving score brought the Warriors fans to the their feet.
Garrow and Pantovic swapped scores before foul trouble for Marian saw Paul Dick and Pemberton convert four from four either side of a last gasp three from Conor Meany. Pantovic was denied a spectacular finale as his towering dunk was judged to have been scored after the final buzzer as the scoreline read Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 82 UCD Marian 78.
Scores for Warrriors: Kieran Donaghy and Paul Dick both with 20, Goran Pantovic 18
