Friday night Cup basketball at the Arena and a gloomy evening for the Tolka Rovers club; the men's side were breezily pushed aside by Denny Notre Dame, 76-48, while the Tolka women's side, the team to beat all season, were stunned by Meteors, 62-59.
There wasn't all that much sizzle about Denny last night. Brian Benjamin for most of the game walked the ball at a pensioner's pace while Denny probed to free Anthony Jenkins of Eric Blair for the open shot.
The issue was essentially settled midway through the third period when Notre Dame, up 40-35, flexed their muscles. First Jenkins floated a three and then Benjamin stole the inbound pass and set Ciaran Dempsey up for the lay-in. Tony McDonagh stepped up to drain two shots in a row and suddenly, Tolka Rovers were lost, down 51-37.
The fourth quarter was a wash-out, with Tolka accepting their fate rather tamely.
Eric Blair shone throughout for the victors, hitting a game-high 24 points, while Jenkins was also impressive. It was a convincing performance. Tolka were simply bereft of answers; Randall Mounts was a peripheral figure and Paddy Boylan faded along with Tolka's challenge.
In the women's final, Meteors stylishly pushed aside the fancied Cup holders Tolka Rovers with a nerveless comeback in the final quarter to squeeze through by 62 to 59.
Meteors trailed their city rivals by 14 points at the break but steadily established their game against a Tolka side who grew more hesitant.
Orla Nolan and Karen Hennessy were hugely influential for Meteors, mopping up under the boards and combining for 31 points. Gillian Morris swung it in the end, calmly nailing four free-throws.
Tolka lacked the insouciance and energy which saw them take the Cup from Waterford so thrillingly this time last year. They did flicker impressively at various stages, particularly in the second quarter, when Vanessa Burke and Sharon Kelly found their shooting touch but their failure to put Meteors away in the opening passages of play after the break cost them dearly.
